Biography
Meretguly Ovezov is a member of the USSR (1989) and the Union of Artists of Turkmenistan, and his artistic activities have been recognized by the Government with the medal "For Love of the Fatherland". He was born on March 22, 1957, in the Ak-yab farm in the Sakar-Chag region of the Mary province, the son of a farmer. He entered the Shota Rustaveli art high school in Ashgabat (1977) and graduated from the sculpture department in 1981. In 1982, M. Ovezov entered the Repin Academy of Arts in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) and enrolled in the art studio of the world-renowned Professor M. K. Anikuşin, People's Artist and Hero of Social Labor of the USSR. During his studies at the Academy, he participated in a competition held among the art schools of Leningrad to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the "Great October" holiday with his work titled "The Death of the Standard Bearer" and won first prize. He became one of the creative sculptors who designed and implemented the unique monument symbolizing the 10th anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence (Ashgabat, 2001 sculpture composition - Ahal-Teke horses group). In 2001, upon the invitation of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Akdeniz University in the Republic of Turkey, he settled in Turkey and started working as a lecturer, a position he still holds. In addition to his academic work, he has created four large sculptures in different locations in Antalya. These include the Atatürk statue (2003) placed within the campus at the request of the Akdeniz University Rectorate, the equestrian statue of Seljuk Sultan Gıyasettin Keyhüsrev (2004) at the request of the Metropolitan Municipality, and the statue of King II of Pergamon, the founder of the city of Antalya. He created the statue of Attalos (2004) and the statue of artillery officer Mustafa Ertuğrul (2006). He was awarded the "Successful Artist of 2005" award by the Antalya Industrialists and Businessmen Association (ANSİAD). He is currently working on a sketch design for the tower for the 2016 International Expo Fair. He is married to Olga and has two sons, Maksat and Alp Arslan. The artist speaks Turkish and Russian.
