The "Don Quixote of La Mancha" exhibition by Romanian artist Florian Doru Crihana opened at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center. The exhibition, consisting of 45 works, can be visited free of charge until March 4th.
The exhibition, featuring 45 works by the renowned artist Florian Doru Crihana, opened at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center, bringing together art lovers in Izmir. The "Don Quixote of La Mancha" exhibition can be visited free of charge every day until March 4th. The opening ceremony of the exhibition, located in the galleries on the ground floor, was attended by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Prof. Dr. Pınar Okyay, Konak Mayor Nilüfer Çınarlı Mutlu, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Culture and Arts Branch Manager Özlem Kuşari, painters, and numerous art lovers. The guests toured the exhibition and listened to the stories behind the paintings and information about the works from the exhibition curator, İbrahim Karaoğlu.
"He combines irony with poetic imagery"
Exhibition curator İbrahim Karaoğlu said, “I first encountered Crihana's art about 15 years ago through his 45 Don Quixote paintings in the famous Don Quixote House in Germany. They were alongside works by giants like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Gustave Dore, and Le Corbusier. When I brought the large collection to Turkey, our art lovers really enjoyed Crihana's works. Years later, I decided to bring his entire private Don Quixote collection to our country. Because Florian Doru Crihana is an artist who reinterprets Don Quixote's ancient adventure in the mirror of today's world, combining irony with poetic imagery, creating a unique narrative language. In his paintings, Don Quixote is not just a knight standing against windmills, but a symbol of a wounded but persistent soul searching for its way amidst the absurdities of modern life.”
“He carried the soul to his canvases”
Project art coordinator Dr. Zeki Hozer stated, "Cervantes, the Spanish author of Don Quixote, the first example of Western modern novel art, is also related to our history. He participated in the Battle of Lepanto and was taken prisoner. Although Don Quixote is objectified as a parody of an ordinary knight, in its satirical narrative structure, it has laid the groundwork for the rationality and individuality of today's Western values in the context of ideals, imagination, and personal beliefs. Florian Doru Crihana, a contemporary artist, has also brought this spirit to his canvases. We are happy to present global values to art lovers in Izmir."
Who is Florian Doru Crihana;
Florian Doru Crihana was born in Galati, Romania in 1958. Having received technical training in naval architecture engineering, Crihana began publishing and exhibiting satirical graphics on contemporary world issues in 1985. His first satirical drawings were published in Bucharest (Romania) media. His works were highly appreciated by German collector Dieter Burkamp, who offered him a 20-year contract, and as part of this collaboration, Crihana's works were featured in two major international retrospective exhibitions.
Source: https://www.izmir.art/tr/la-manchali-don-kisot-sergisi-acildi