Bahar Kartan says that the baby doll story is her own life story and prefers to use traditional Kurdish motifs that motivate her in her art: ”I try to reflect what I live for and what I feel”, Kartan says.
Bahar Kartan, forty-five, has been practicing traditional baby doll art for six years. She makes baby dolls, called ‘Lorîn’, in her small room in Buca, İzmir, Turkey. Kartan, who was born in the Sarıkamış (Qersan) district of Kars (Qers) and moved to Adıyaman (Semsûr), Ankara, and then İzmir after her marriage, told the story of the baby doll.
In an interview with Esra Solin Dal from Mesopotamia News, she stated that she wanted to leave a cultural sign: “I want to leave a small reminder. The colours in Kurdish motifs fascinate me. My grandmother lived with us when I was a child. She also wore traditional Kurdish clothes. It was my inspiration.
“Our traditional motifs express our emotions. In the past, people used to tell someone about their problems with colours, symbols, and motifs since there were no communication tools such as messages and phones.
“Again, in Kurdish, it would be clear to which tribe a woman belonged, based on the tattoo she would have, which we call ‘Deq’. Colours have a language and expression. Every emotion has a colour. In addition to love, longing, affection and freedom, there is also lamentation, mourning and screams. I also try to reflect on what I am experiencing and what I feel”.
In this context, she states that “every baby has a story and a name”.
Stating that her biggest dream is to open a big workshop independently, she said: “I want a workshop where mothers will come with their children and spend time making a baby doll. Second, I want to patent my baby doll designs. But I need a sponsor for the patent. I would like support over this”.
