Levent Akça

Who is Levent Akça? (1972-Malatya)

Levent Akça was born in Malatya in 1972. His interest in drawing and visual expression from childhood led him to form a strong bond with painting at an early age. The nature-integrated structure of the Anatolian geography, the rhythm of rural life, and the animal-human relationship left lasting impressions on the artist’s visual memory. The horse figure, in particular, became one of the strongest images imprinted in his subconscious from these early experiences. During his art education, Akça, basing his work on classical painting discipline, developed both academic knowledge and intuitive expression. However, over time, he moved beyond technical perfection, focusing on the decisive power of emotion and inner tension in his paintings. Having taught art for many years as an educator, the artist continuously questioned and transformed his own production practice throughout this process. Living and working in Malatya, Levent Akça viewed being far from the center not as a limitation, but as an introspective and profound field of production. The concepts of nature, memory, movement, and time became increasingly prominent in the artist’s paintings, along with his life experiences. The boundary between his life and art consciously blurred; every experience was directly or indirectly transferred to the painting surface.

Artistic Perspective;
Levent Akça’s artistic production transforms the concept of the figure from a representation-focused structure into an emotional and existential field of expression. In his paintings, the figure is not merely a visible body; it is a form that carries the inner world of man, his repressed emotions, and existential tensions. Therefore, the form is often not defined by precise lines; it is fragmented, blurred, and reconstructed. The horse figure, which occupies a central position in the artist’s works, is the main carrier of a powerful symbolic narrative. The horse is treated as a universal image representing power, freedom, movement, resistance, and the ancient relationship between man and nature. In Akça’s paintings, the horse does not belong to a specific time or place; it is detached from its narrative context and transformed into a timeless and placeless entity. The horse figure is sometimes in motion with all its energy; With harsh and aggressive brushstrokes, he directly conveys tension to the viewer. At times, the figure appears fragmented, blurred, or dissolved. This is a visual representation of the artist’s inner turmoil and mental transformations. Levent Akça consciously relegates the pursuit of academic accuracy and anatomical perfection to the background. What matters to him is the emotional weight carried by the figure and the psychological impact created by the painting. Expressive, spontaneous, and aggressive brushstrokes become the fundamental narrative language of the painting. Watercolor technique holds a special place in the artist’s production. The relationship between water and pigment makes visible the fine line between control and chance. The figure sometimes becomes clearer, sometimes dissolves, guided by the water. For Akça, each production is not a finished result, but rather part of an ongoing quest.