The exhibition, "I Am This," by Professor Hüsamettin Koçan, the founder of the Baksı Museum in Bayraktar village of Bayburt, whose fame has spread worldwide, has opened in Ankara. The exhibition, which will remain open at CerModern until April 29th, includes works from Baksı and the artist's studio in Istanbul.
Artist Hüsamettin Koçan held the opening reception for the "I Am This" exhibition at CerModern in Ankara last night. Described as "Koçan's self-reflection and questioning of his own existence transformed into an exhibition," the exhibition will be on display until April 29th.
Painter and academician Prof. Dr. Hüsamettin Koçan held the opening reception for the "I Am This" exhibition, which opened at CerModern in Ankara on March 10th, last night. Former Ministers of Culture Ertuğrul Günay and Namık Kemal Zeybek also attended the reception.
‘REPETITION DOES NOT ENSURE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIETY’
In his speech at the reception, Koçan said, “Yaşar Abi (Yaşar Kemal) used to say, ‘There must be a story for a person,’ when writing his island stories. He would say that he derived all his novels from his own stories. Great people are those who draw conclusions from their own lives. This is extremely important. Repetition never ensures the development of a society. Innovation makes a person more creative for the future. Life cannot be filled with originality through quotations. In this exhibition, I have brought together the threads that I believe in, that are connected to my own stories: like a rug. I attach great importance to understanding. The creative process is a process of understanding. It is a pictogram. Everything here is encoded within itself. All the materials I use in my art belong to this land.”
Ertuğrul Günay and Namık Kemal Zeybek also praised Koçan's work in their speeches.
‘WITNESSING INNER DIALOGUE...’
The “I-THIS” exhibition is described as “Koçan’s reckoning with himself and questioning of his own existence transformed into an exhibition.” The press release for the event states: “The exhibition invites the viewer to witness an artist’s inner dialogue, while simultaneously prompting a rethinking of the relationship between art and space, history, and modes of production. The works extend beyond the date of birth, touching upon different cultural layers from Shamanism to the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. Times and techniques converge, creating a multi-layered language between the past and the present. In Koçan’s art, technique is not a fixed identity; it transforms according to the subject and period. Earth merges with paint, confronting the canvas. The fragility in glass painting transforms into an unbreakable permeability in silicone material. Digital prints, kitsch elements, and flat paper surfaces gain new meaning with the colors of the Anatolian steppe. In sculptures, ceramics and metal become bodies for demons and Shahmaran figures. Mythological and cultural images find new existence in a contemporary field of representation.”
The press release further elaborates on the exhibition's themes.
Source: https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/kultur-sanat/sanatci-husamettin-kocan-dan-ankara-da-benbu-sergisi-2490063