Haslet Soyöz

Transition to Painting and Production with Sea Themes;

In the early 2000s, Soyöz, in addition to his identity as a cartoonist, also made a name for himself as a painter, particularly attracting attention with his oil paintings of portraits focusing on maritime history. His first major painting exhibition, "Ships of Paradise" (2003), a series of works encompassing historical portraits of 30 ships, was presented to art lovers at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum.

Soyöz's painting production focuses on the sea and ships; he has transferred various maritime figures such as the Black Sea, transatlantic ships, and tugboats into visual memory. The wave movements, light, and color relationships in his sea paintings allow Soyöz to transform individual sea motifs into documentary-style visual narratives.

Exhibitions:

Haslet Soyöz has held numerous exhibitions and presentations in both the fields of caricature and painting. His sea-themed works, most notably the "Ships of Paradise" exhibition, have been featured in various museums and art venues. Furthermore, his abstract and graphic expressions are represented in international collections. His drawings have been exhibited in institutions such as the Tolentino Cartoon Museum in Italy and the Press Hall of the Lower Saxony Parliament in Germany.

Artistic Perspective:
Haslet Soyöz's artistic approach is based on a visual discourse that combines drawing with emotion. While he dealt with social themes in cartoons using humor and criticism, he preferred to depict broader environmental and historical contexts in painting. In his sea paintings, he particularly conveyed the dynamic structure of nature and maritime history with both an aesthetic and documentary approach.

According to Soyöz, art is not only technical skill but also a tool for producing narrative and memory. The preliminary research and historical depictions he made in his sea paintings ensure that each painting has a documentary quality and takes the viewer on both a visual and conceptual journey.

Haslet Soyöz passed away on May 27, 2025, at the age of 70 in the hospital where he was receiving treatment. The Turkish Journalists Association, in its message published upon the artist's death, emphasized his contributions in both the fields of cartooning and painting.

The artist left behind a legacy of work filled with journalistic cartoons, marine paintings, and national and international recognition. Soyöz, who is married and has one child, makes significant contributions to both the history of humor and visual arts in Turkey.