Tuğçe Hitit

Mithat Hitit is a widely beloved member of the Hitit family, one of Bolu's well-established families. Ord. Prof. Dr. Cemil Topuzlu (Cemil Pasha), the founder of modern surgery in Turkey, former Mayor of Istanbul, and court physician and surgeon to Sultan Abdülhamid II and Sultan Mehmed V Reşat, is Mithat Hitit's great uncle. The artist is a graduate of Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Fashion and Textile. After working in the field of fashion design for many years, he turned to photography. He is a founding member of the Bolu Photography Art Association. During this period, he particularly supported university students in the field of photographic art. To describe Mithat Hitit's artistic vision; in a laboratory he set up at home with the demeanor of a scientist, he conducted experimental works by combining various light and color sources with water. During this process, he led a nocturnal life and recorded all the technical details of the photographs he took. In this improvisation-based process stretching from the abstract to the concrete, the artist sometimes captured beings and creatures belonging to other worlds and dimensions, and at other times captured images such as a dolphin, horses, swans, goddess figures, female archetypes, distinct faces, and landscapes. Another area of interest for the artist is nature. With his macro lens, he delved into the depths of the microcosm within flowers, producing works that display that world in all its elegance. He has held four solo exhibitions. The artist also has unpublished poems. And just like artists who bid farewell to life on stage, the heart of our dear father Mithat Hitit stopped while he was photographing a purple butterfly, and he departed from this life too soon. We, Tuğçe Hitit and Balkı Hitit Freiling, wish to keep the memory of our beloved father Mithat Hitit alive, and with this purpose in mind, we would like to share his works.

Mithat Hitit is a beloved member of the Hitit family, one of Bolu's most established and deep-rooted families. His great-uncle was Ord. Prof. Dr. Cemil Topuzlu (Cemil Paşa), the founder of modern surgery in Turkey, a former Mayor of Istanbul, and the chief physician and surgeon to Sultans Abdülhamid II and Mehmed Reşad V at the Ottoman Palace. An artist by profession, Mithat Hitit graduated from the Fashion and Textile Department of Marmara University's Faculty of Fine Arts. After working for many years in fashion design, he turned his focus to the art of photography. He was a founding member of the Bolu Photography Art Association, and throughout his career, he was particularly dedicated to supporting university students in their exploration of photography. As for his artistic vision: with the meticulousness of a scientist, he set up a laboratory in his own home, where he spent five years conducting experimental studies by blending various light and color sources with water. During this period, he lived a nocturnal life and meticulously recorded all the technical data of every photograph he took. In this improvisational process—spanning from the abstract to the tangible—he sometimes captured images of beings and creatures from other worlds and dimensions; at other times, he caught glimpses of dolphins, horses, goddess-like figures, and archetypal nude female forms. He held four solo exhibitions over the course of his career. He also left behind a collection of unpublished poems. And like those artists who take their final bow on stage, our beloved father, Mithat Hitit, passed away far too soon—his heart stopped while he was photographing a purple butterfly, bringing his journey in this life to an untimely end.

The artist is one of the founding members of BOFSAD (Bolu Photography Art Association). Within this association, he provided training and support specifically aimed at university students. He held four solo exhibitions.