Hayati Misman's prolific artistic journey spanning over 60 years is presented to the public with a comprehensive retrospective at İş Sanat Kibele Art Gallery. The exhibition, spanning etchings, sculptures, paintings, and metal reliefs, showcases the technical mastery Misman has patiently built.
İş Sanat Kibele Art Gallery is hosting a comprehensive retrospective that brings together the more than 60-year productive artistic journey of Hayati Misman, a leading figure in Turkish painting. The artist's long-term journey, spanning from the 1960s to the present, reveals a mature aesthetic and a patiently acquired technical mastery. The exhibition features over 170 works. The exhibition showcases not only the completed works but also the engraving molds, metal plates, printing presses, and Misman's original tools for carving. This allows the viewer to feel as if they've stepped inside the artist's workshop and witness the production process up close. The multi-layered layout of the Kibele Art Gallery provides an in-depth understanding of Misman's artistic development over the years, both through materials and forms, as well as through his color palette.
The Resistance of the Female Figure with Color
The striking juxtaposition of red, blue, and yellow is particularly striking in the exhibition. Misman uses these colors not merely as an aesthetic choice but as a narrative tool to reflect the inner strength and resistance of the female figure. While female bodies appear on the painting surface in abstract, sometimes figurative forms, the same power is also evident in the artist's metal reliefs and bronze sculptures. Each figure gives the impression that it has passed through Misman's workshop over the years, taking on a new form and a new expression.
Misman, considered one of the pioneers of engraving in Turkey, maintains his technical meticulousness in his works. The metal engraving plates in the exhibition reveal hidden figures, human silhouettes, and narratives intertwined with nature in the surfaces he patiently engraves. Behind this technical intensity, one senses the artist's relentless creativity.
The emotional backbone of the exhibition is comprised of photographs from the artist's personal history. In one corner, a 1994 photo taken with his mother, Fadim Misman, stands out, while on the other, a memory from his student years at the Gazi Education Institute stands out with his teachers. These photographs are placed within the exhibition like a memory filtered through time, creating a personal connection between the viewer and Misman. This exhibition, which serves as a summary of this long journey, is an unmissable stop for those who want to delve into the patience, labor, and traces left over time by a master artist. The exhibition will be open to visitors until January 19, 2026.
Greetings from friends
The walls display comments previously made about Misman by prominent figures in the art community. Painter Zafer Gençaydın describes the liveliness of his prints as "the fresh effect of momentary enthusiasms," while art historian Sezer Tansuğ considers Misman's etchings to reflect "the mental discipline of an artist armed with experience." Master artist Zahit Büyükişleyen positions Misman as "one of the important representatives of the '68 generation in our contemporary art," while Tunç Tanışık describes him as "a visual master who fearlessly played with forms." Halil Akdeniz, who passed away last year, describes Misman's art as "a narrative that goes beyond the figure, deepening with a richness of color and form." These sentences written on the walls not only reflect Misman's artistic journey but also pay tribute to the artists of the generation with whom he formed friendships and shared ideas.
Who is Prof. Dr. Hayati Misman?
Prof. Hayati Misman was born in Konya in April 1945. After completing his primary and secondary education in Konya, he studied at the Akşehir Teacher Training School from 1961 to 1964. He taught primary school in Erzincan/Tercan from 1964 to 1965. He studied at the Ankara Gazi Education Institute's Department of Art and Crafts from 1965 to 1968. He studied under teachers such as Adnan Turani, Turan Erol, Nevide Gökaydın, Mürşide İçmeli, and Burhan Alkar. Between 1970 and 1975, he was sent to Germany on a scholarship from the Ministry of National Education. He studied at the Kassel State Academy of Fine Arts under world-renowned artists such as Prof. Werner Kausch, Heinz Nickel, Hans Hilmann, Günther Kieser, Karl Oskar Blase, and Walter Rabe. He specialized in Graphic Design. He returned to the country in 1975 and began working at the Gazi Education Institute's Department of Art and Crafts. He received his art qualification in 1984. He became an associate professor in 1987. He taught at Bilkent University's Faculty of Fine Arts, Design, and Architecture from 1987 to 2001. He moved to Hacettepe University in 2001 and became a professor. Misman retired from the university in 2006 and continues to produce in his studio in Ankara.
Source: https://www.milliyet.com.tr/kultur-sanat/ustanin-yolculuguna-taniklik-7470446