Renowned Crimean Tatar artist, master of decorative and applied arts, ethnographer, designer, member of the National Union of Folk Artists of Ukraine, laureate of the Hasprynskyi Prize, and Honored Artist of Ukraine, Mamut Churlu, has passed away at the age of 78 in occupied Crimea.

On January 21 of this year, he was involved in a traffic accident on his way to the village of Perevalne. In critical condition, with multiple injuries, he was hospitalized in the intensive care unit of Simferopol’s 6th City Hospital.

Mamut Yusupovych Churlu was born on March 1, 1946, in Uzbekistan, into a family of deported Crimean Tatars. He became a mentor to many art historians, guiding them towards Crimean Tatar national art and culture. In 1996, he successfully implemented a program for the revival of Crimean Tatar carpet weaving, teaching participants the intricacies of ornamentation, color science, and natural dyeing techniques.

His exhibitions were held in various cities worldwide, including Kyiv, Tashkent, Duisburg, Heidelberg, Cologne, and others. In 2010, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine, and in 2014, he became the first-prize laureate of the Fourth All-Ukrainian Textile Triennial. Beyond painting, Mamut Churlu was also involved in carpet weaving, ceramics, and design. He founded the Crimean Style project, which brought together Crimean artisans and artists.

In 2021, the National Museum of Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art in Kyiv hosted an exhibition titled “Symbol. Tradition. Patchwork,” which was part of the Patchwork Sewing of Ukraine project, implemented under the leadership of Mamut Churlu.