HAKAN BAKIR Sculptor, born in 1984 in Izmit, Turkey. He started his art education at the “Izmit Technical College Graphic Design Department” in 1998. In 2003 he passed the academic exams with distinction and entered the “Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Sculpture Department”, then he moved to Istanbul for his art education. He mostly focused on metal materials instead of classical materials such as marble or wood and started to develop his own unique sculpting technique in metal sculpture. In the same years he became an assistant of well known Turkish sculptor Prof. Rahmi Aksungur and they worked on public monuments until the end of Hakan Bakir’s years in Turkey. In 2006 - 2007 he studied in Italy at the “Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara”. Those years played a significant role in his professional sculpture career, he combined classical figurative sculpture with abstract metal sculpture with great success. During his education he got three important exhibition prizes from the “Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture - State Exhibition on Sculptures”. In 2009, he graduated from the “Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Sculpture Department” with High Honors, and he got the “Sabanci Foundation Art Awards - 1st Prize” which is to reward the achievements of his art education. In 2010 he started his Master degree at “Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Sculpture Department”. In 2013, he wrote a thesis on a complex subject “Death in Sculpture” and completed his Master degree. Following years, his metal sculptures became very popular in the international art market. He took part in prestigious art events and exhibitions in Poland, Turkey and in the USA. Between 2011 - 2015 he worked with Myra Galleries Miami. In 2012 he was presented by “Artprice” as a one of the top - selling worldwide artists under thirty in sculpture. In 2015 he moved to Warsaw, Poland. He opened his first solo exhibition ”Nokturn” in Warsaw. Later in Poland, he took part in various exhibitions and his sculptures were exhibited in iconic and prestigious galleries like “Zachęta - National Gallery of Art”. Hakan Bakir has been awarded with a creative scholarships by the Poland's Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in 2018, 2020 and 2023. At present, he lives and works in Warsaw, Poland.