Balkan Naci İslimyeli - Turkish Painting Association

Who is Balkan Naci İslimyeli (1947 Adapazarı – 2022 Istanbul

He was born on 20. 09. 1947 in Adapazarı. In 1967, he entered the painting department of the State Applied Fine Arts School. He graduated from the same institution in 1972 with first place. In 1975, he worked on lithography in Salzburg with a scholarship from the Austrian Government. He gave his thesis on ‘Fiction as a Expressive Element in Visual Arts’ in 1977. Between 1980-82, he studied at the painting department of the Florence Academy of Fine Arts with a scholarship from the Italian Government.

He received a diploma of proficiency in art in 1983. He became an Associate Professor in the Department of Painting in 1986. He worked on contemporary art in New York in 1989. In 1990, N.Y.U. Hagop Kevorkian worked at this university upon the invitation of the Near East Center.

He won a Fulbright scholarship in 1991 and continued his studies at N.Y.U. Faculty of Fine Arts. In 1995, U.S.A. Upon the invitation of Hartford Trinity College, he worked as a guest artist at this university.
Between 1996 and 2003, he carried out short-term studies with invitations from various countries.

He prepared five art books named ‘Crime’, ‘Word’, ‘Like’, ‘Déjà vu’ and ‘Matah’. His poems and stories were published in magazines such as Dost, Oluşum, Yazı, Geç, Argos, Kitaplık. He worked as an art director in cinema and as a consultant in various television cultural series. He supervised more than twenty Master’s and Doctoral theses.

He directed the Balkan Naci İslimyeli workshop at Marmara University. He gave applied courses on 'Art and Design', 'Communication and Contemporary Art', 'Visual Analysis Methods', 'Experimental Art Workshop', 'Visual Semiotics' at Maltepe University Faculty of Communication. He directed a Painting Workshop at Bilgi University
He worked as a lecturer at Işık University Visual Arts Department Painting Workshop.
İslimyeli, who was struggling with lung cancer, died at the age of 75 in Burgazada, Istanbul, on April 14, 2022, while his treatment was continuing, leaving behind hundreds of works. His body was buried in Burgazada Cemetery.

Selections from Personal Exhibitions
2008 - "Scissors Psycholage" Balkan Naci İslimyeli Gallery Işık Teşvikiye
2007 - "Hidden Works" Retrospective Exhibition, İş Sanat Kibele Art Gallery, Istanbul
2006 - "Zifir" Project 4L Elgiz Contemporary Arts Museum, Artvarium, 35th Year Art Events II, Istanbul
2006 - "Matah" Milli Reasürans Art Gallery, 35th Anniversary Art Events I, Istanbul
2004 - "One for All", Turkish Cultural Center, Sarajevo
2002 - "Timeless" P.G. Art Gallery, Istanbul
2001 - "Timeless" Black and White Art Gallery, Ankara
2001 - "Salt" Black and White Art Gallery, Ankara
2000 - "Deja Vu" Mine Art Gallery, Istanbul
1998 - "Suret" Atatürk Cultural Center, Istanbul
1995 - "Crime" Yapı Kredi Kazım Taşkent Art Gallery, Istanbul
1995 - "The Steps" Ziyon Gallery, Hartfort, USA
1995 - "Selections 89-94" Mine Art Gallery, Istanbul
1994 - "Söz" Installation, Aksanat, Istanbul
1994 - "Messenger" P.G. Art Gallery, Istanbul
1992 - "Strait Jacket" Garanti Art Gallery, Istanbul
1991 - "Iz" Atatürk Cultural Center, Istanbul
1991 - "Installation II The Letters" Sehnap N.Y.U, NYC, USA
1991 - "Strait Jacket", Sehnap N.Y.U, NYC, USA
1990 - "Secret" Turkish Islamic Arts Museum, Istanbul
1989 - "Air, Water, Earth, Fire", Atatürk Cultural Center, Istanbul
1989 - Mine Art Gallery, Istanbul
1988 - "Selections 75-78", Urart Art Gallery, Istanbul
1987 - "Pentimentolar" Atatürk Cultural Center, Istanbul
1987 - Tanbay Art Gallery, Ankara
1986 - Urart Art Gallery, Istanbul
1984 - Urart Art Gallery, Istanbul
1981 - "Things Drawn on Water" Maçka Art Gallery, Istanbul
1979 - Applied Fine Arts School, Istanbul
1979 - "Architecture of Destruction" Collage Exhibition, Vakko Art Gallery, Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir
1977 - Akdeniz Art Gallery, Ankara
1976 - Melda Kaptana Art Gallery, Istanbul
1974 - Turkish-German Cultural Center, Izmir
1972 - Taksim Art Gallery, Istanbul
1971 - Taksim Art Gallery, Istanbul
1970 - Taksim Art Gallery, Istanbul