Meet Muharrem Kalenci Hoca

Meet Muharrem Kalenci Hoca. A craftsman in every sense of the word: exuding joy at every stage of his work, the passion driving the entertainment factor, and still strong meticulous hands beaten into submission to the art form.

What I loved most about being a student in Hoca’s studio was relating to the creative frequency, characterised by freedom, flow, and the drive to do. An unblockedness of sorts, the opposite of stagnation. A space where no judgement need exist.

Amongst the video clips you will find Hoca working on several of his students pieces:

Teaching me how to sew pages together by hand to create a green hardcovered notebook (defter in Turkish).
Then hand painting a handmade leather Quran cover in 24 ct gold paint. The Quran pages were also stitched together by the students.
Pressing traditional designs into the leather cover and creating a 2 toned design, ready for gold painting.
I have my last class in a week, and I will have made 3 notebooks by hand at the end. Nowhere near enough time or practise to make a craftsman out of me, but the experience was enriching to say the least.

There’s something about a handmade item that shifts one’s energy from stagnant disdain to free-flowing joy, no matter how simple the task. The OT in me knows this to be valuable beyond measure particularly in the presence of mental health decline. I wonder if there’s a way to bring back a culture of craftsmanship.

Nazeemah | Meet Muharrem Kalenci Hoca. A craftsman in every sense of the word: exuding joy at every stage of his work, the passion driving the… | Instagram