He's made coffins and cradles from glass….

    Sezener was born in İstanbul in 1952. He is not only a glass worker but also a captain and a musician. For many years, he played the bass guitar, and in high school, he played the piano. He even appeared on stage while studying at Bilir Kolej alongside Yaman Okay and Selçuk Yöntem.

    It was during Sezener's childhood years that he took his first steps toward his current career. While his neighborhood friends played football, Sezener was busy designing toy cars. When he entered high school, he started making copper engravings as a hobby. But then he began to be interested in glasswork, as he explains himself, learning by copying masters. “I would look at their work and replicate it. I taught myself by doing this. I produced original designs. And 35 years ago, I set up my own atelier in Bakırköy. For years and years, I created my own masterpieces, using lead glass and mirrors, making my own unique designs,” he said.

    In the mid 1980s, Sezener discovered that he could use acid and sanding to engrave deeply into thick glass pieces. That discovery turned out to be a milestone for the artist. “I was engraving 18 millimeters into glass that was 19 millimeters thick and with zero errors. I signed quite a few works like this without making errors like I did when I used a needle. Using his new method, he produced everything from glass bed frames to complete bedroom sets, glass cradles, glass coffins, glass cemetery headstones, glass chairs, tables and even three-dimensional glass pictures. At this point, Sezener became aware that the same technique could be used with granite. So he started working with granite, and in fact, the granite staircase at the entrance to the Bayrampaşa Municipality building is one of his masterpieces. Another place you can find his granite work is on the floors and walls of the İstanbul Sea Bus (İDO) terminal in Yenikapı.

Sezener’s unique work

One unique characteristic of Sezener's work is that he produces only one version of whatever the order is that he is filling. Sometimes Sezener sells his works for money, and other times he gives them as gifts. “In 1992, I made a bed from glass. Everyone said it was fit for a king. Those were the years that Kuwait was emerging from the invasion. I gave that bed to Kuwaiti Emir Al-Sabah as a gift.”

    Some of the more notable designs done by Sezener are his glass cradles and glass coffins. He explains: “At a trade fair, I put up a sign as a joke that said, ‘I take or0ders for glass coffins.' I ended up making four glass coffins that were sent to Switzerland. I even made my own headstone from glass.” The words engraved on his headstone are as follows: “Captain Sabri Sezener, artistic glass and granite engraver. Birthdate: June 3, 1952. Date of death: Today.” But Sezener says a thief who broke into his warehouse did wind up stealing many items, including his own headstone.  

    Sezener has been married for 30 years and has three daughters and two grandchildren. He has trained his children and grandchildren in his trade. He says, “In Şişhane, with the help of my daughters and grandchildren, I created the world's largest picture from glass.”

    Sezener spends his free time on his boat, and after 4:00 p.m. at what is known as Istanbul's “second Pierre Loti,” the Molla Aşkı Park. This is a park with a wonderful view of the city and with miniature Ottoman homes where “ebru” (paper marbling) and calligraphy samples are sold. Sezener does glass engravings in one of these homes, and his work is sold here. Small personalized pieces of glass by Sezener here cost between 20 and 30 TL.

    Sezener's greatest dream is to create a stylized picture of İstanbul, portraying the city from Merter all the way to Topkapı. “They tell me to do it, and they're going to show me a place where I can. I don't want to be paid for it. … Let them just give me the materials. I would love to see that picture become something that people think of when they hear the word ‘Istanbul',” he said.