Who is Şerif Kino? (1967-Mardin)
Şerif Kino was born in Mardin in 1967. He graduated from Marmara University Atatürk Faculty of Education, Department of Painting (1987-1992). He has participated in many solo and group exhibitions both in Turkey and abroad. He curated the International Mardin Painting Symposium. His works are in private collections both in Turkey and abroad. He currently continues his work in his private studio in Kızıltepe.
Miguel de Cervantes published the first part of this novel in 1605; then the novel became so popular that he published the second part ten years later. Actually, apart from the financial gain of popularity for the author, some critics today attribute the writing of the second part to another reason: the continuation of that first part had begun to be written by other authors, that is, Don Quixote had been imitated by many writers; therefore, Cervantes felt the need to reclaim his hero once again.
However, interest in Don Quixote has never waned; Up until today, his adventures have been widely shared, transformed into various forms, and given countless interpretations by different writers and even artists in non-literary disciplines, gradually becoming anonymous. There was a solid ideological justification for this: he embodied the spirited, energetic knight character of the novel, making impulsive decisions, engaging in battles against all the “evil” without considering the consequences, suffering defeat each time, but never giving up the fight. Therefore, an idealistic and sympathetic figure emerged, attracting everyone’s attention. In Turkey, we call him Don Quixote, and we also use the term “Don Quixote-like” to describe similar idealistic behaviors. Şerif Kino, too, became known in his artistic life as a “Don Quixote painter.” This stems from his constant use of that figure in his paintings and, at the same time, his identification of his own personality with him… These sentences tell us about the closeness he has with Don Quixote: I think what matters is being able to be like Don Quixote in this age… I portray Don Quixote, a dreamy, old, tall, thin man, as a character who witnesses history and the present in my paintings. I place him in different time periods and different places. The characteristic that influenced and drew Sheriff Kino to him is, of course, Don Quixote’s selfless fight against “evil”… Moreover, he derives this desire to fight from his imagination. Could there be a better reason for an artist than this? After all, aren’t the ideals that art needs, nourished by imagination? However, a situation arises here that we need to consider: There is no doubt that Don Quixote fights against “evil”; but who are those “evil”? The answer is simple: Windmills… His imagination leads him to a battle with these windmills. Now let’s ask: Is this a rational struggle? The answer is also simple: None of us can claim that Don Quixote’s actions are rational. After all, why would windmills be inherently evil? Therefore, it becomes inevitable that we look deeper for Sheriff Kino’s sense of belonging and Don Quixote’s relationship with idealism. Namely: Don Quixote is a hero of irony. And in that novel, he illustrates how the most famous knights and figures of power of the Middle Ages are presented with exaggerated adventures, and how these are transformed into irrational narratives. That is, the qualities attributed to these individuals are nothing more than fiction. Don Quixote, with his dysfunctional actions, is an irrational hero, and idealism clings to him meaninglessly.
Yet, we still find him strangely sympathetic and even rational. Because Don Quixote, with his nonsensical decisions and dysfunctional actions, exposes and ridicules those exaggerated knights and figures of power. We mock every exaggerated act of heroism, recalling Don Quixote's battle with the windmills. Therefore, Don Quixote cannot be a critical figure in isolation; we feel compelled to consider him together with his creator, Cervantes: it is Cervantes who bestows a rational-critical function upon an irrational character like Don Quixote… Ultimately, Don Quixote cannot achieve his functional personality without Cervantes' involvement. So let's reconsider Sheriff Kino's recognition as a "Don Quixote painter." While he expresses himself in this way and incorporates that figure into his works, since he is engaging in a Don Quixote-like critique, let's not neglect to look for Cervantes within these paintings as well. Art Perspective;
“Staying outside of everyday political and artistic attitudes, I create my works solely based on my personal decisions. Sometimes I directly incorporate the image of Don Quixote into my paintings, and sometimes I convey his feelings metaphorically, presenting an “ideal world.”
This “ideal world,” which I present to the viewer with an extremely colorful and luminous image, also incorporates some landscapes I have seen during my travels to distant places. Furthermore, this “ideal world” includes symbols reflecting my dreamlike nature, or portraits and places that I consider important in my life. But all these elements blend together with an approach that could be called “surreal,” and the “ideal world” emerges.
These works, which show the intertwining of dreamlike nature and the reality of life, also point to my convergence with Don Quixote, a conceptual figure.”
Lately, in my work, I am drawn to human figures struggling with everyday life and leading very ordinary lives, and I try to transfer them to canvas in various forms.
Solo Exhibitions;
1995 Nini Gallery Börlange / SWEDEN
1996 Nini Gallery Börlange / SWEDEN
1997 Nini Gallery Börlange / SWEDEN
1998 Çatı Art House / Teşvikiye / ISTANBUL
2004 Temore Art Gallery / Şişli / ISTANBUL
2005 Kadıköy Art Gallery / ISTANBUL
2007 Kadıköy Ütopya Platform Art Gallery / ISTANBUL
2008 Dionisos Art Workshop Istanbul
2009 Ütopya Platform Gallery Istanbul
2010 International Painting Symposium / MARDIN (Curator)
2010 TÜYAP International Painting Fair / ISTANBUL
2011 International Painting Symposium 2 / MARDIN
2011 Oda Art Gallery / ISTANBUL
2011 Insanbul Art House / ISTANBUL
2015 Dream Traveler Art Stop ISTANBUL.
2019 Don Quixote Art ISTANBUL
2020 Mona Art Gallery ISTANBUL
2020 Mardin Archaeology Museum Gallery
2023 Ziba Art Gallery ISTANBUL
2023 Meyman Art Gallery MARDIN
2024 Keras Art Gallery ISTANBUL
Selected Group Exhibitions;
1993 Press Museum / Çemberlitaş / ISTANBUL
1994 The Marmara Hotel Exhibition Hall / ISTANBUL
1997 Young Event (chaos) Tüyap Tepebaşı Exhibition Palace / ISTANBUL
2000 Press Museum / Çemberlitaş / ISTANBUL
2004 IM-Istanbul Mardin Interdisciplinary Art Meeting
2005 Kadıköy Art Gallery / ISTANBUL
2006 Kadıköy Art Gallery / ISTANBUL
2007 Kadıköy Utopia Platform Art Gallery / ISTANBUL
2008 Dionisos Art Workshop Istanbul
2009 Dionisos Art Workshop Istanbul
2010 International Painting Symposium Curator and Participating Artist / MARDIN
2010 International Painting Symposium Participating Artist / ERZURUM
2011 Those Who Want One Hundred Percent Peace Exhibition / ISTANBUL
2011 Dionysos Art House / ISTANBUL
2011 Human Rights Foundation Exhibition Tophane-i Amire / ISTANBUL
2011 International Painting Symposium Curator and Participating Artist / MARDIN
2011 Oda Art Gallery / ISTANBUL
2011 Insanbul Art House / ISTANBUL
2012 International Painting Symposium / GOSLAR-GERMANY
2012 Tüyap Art Fair / ISTANBUL
2013 International Painting Symposium Curator and Participating Artist / MARDIN
2013 Unplaced Fate Union Exhibition / KIZILTEPE
2015 Dream Traveler Art Stop ISTANBUL
2019 Don Quixote Art ISTANBUL
2023 Ziba Art Gallery ISTANBUL
2023 Meyman Art Gallery MARDIN
2024 Keras Art Gallery ISTANBUL
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