Master artist Yusuf Taktak's "Transformation" Solo Exhibition opened at the Timora Art Gallery for art lovers in the capital. The exhibition runs from September 26th to October 18th. In Taktak's works, images serve as aesthetic elements and become the intersection of individual and social history.
The exhibition opened on Friday, September 26th and will continue until October 18th. The event took place at the Timora Art Gallery with a grand opening, where esteemed artist Yusuf Taktak discussed his inspirations and the symbols and images he utilizes in his work.
The opening speech was delivered by Timora Art Gallery Director Berna Demirhan. Gallery Director Demirhan's highlights are as follows: First of all, I would like to welcome all our guests. Today, with our exhibition titled "Transformation," we also welcomed the new season," he said.
"Painting is actually illegal!"
Then, master artist Yusuf Taktak, who had this to say, recounted his story of getting into painting: "I've always had a connection to art before. I had an art teacher in elementary school. Back then, all the teachers knew everything. We also had a music teacher at school. One day, while I was playing music, Yusuf said, 'You have a very good ear.' He said, 'Tell your father to buy you a mandolin.' I grew up in a religious family. I told my father what the teacher said straight away because I was praised, and I was happy. My father, with a harsh tone, said to me, 'Are you going to become a heretic?' Then I realized that music is legal. You should know that everyone is involved in music and doing it. Painting, on the other hand, is actually illegal. So, no one knows you're painting, and it doesn't matter." "That's why I decided to pursue painting," he said.
"Because it showed me my identity and personality."
Emphasizing that he owes his decision to pursue painting to his teacher, Taktak continued: "I have great respect and love for my art teacher. Because he showed me my identity and personality. The first day he came to class, he asked us to draw a self-portrait. All my friends tried to make the object he was drawing on paper resemble him. I divided my paper into eight pieces and drew my facial features on each of them. The teacher came and stood in front of me. Oh my gosh, I thought he was going to slap me. Then he turned to me and said, 'The painting your friends are doing, what you're doing is art.'"
"I think art is creating a concept"
Explaining what art means to the guests, painter Taktak said: "I think art is creating a concept. It's making something that doesn't exist. As the title of this exhibition says, it's transformation. I see you. If I were to draw you again, I could draw the same thing. It wouldn't make sense." I think it's important to see what I bring to this emotionally. In high school, they used to tell us to express our feelings and thoughts through an essay. This is what I'm expressing with that classical and primitive narrative. During my university years, I was a student of Adnan Çoker. I've worked with the human figure for many years. I know the human figure very well. But then my mind changed. Emotion, rather than reality, should be prioritized in art. Because painting is like poetry. Poetry uses symbols and images. All painters share this. "I embarked on this journey with these ideas in mind," he said.
Who is the artist Yusuf Taktak?
Yusuf Taktak was born in Bolvadin in 1951. He graduated from the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts in 1974. He continued his education at the Salzburg Academy in Austria. Between 1976 and 1992, he worked as a lecturer in the Archives Department of the Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture and at the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts. In 1999, he began teaching at the Faculty of Art and Design at Yeditepe University. He currently lives in Istanbul and continues his work in his studio.
In Taktak's works, images, while an aesthetic element, have become the intersection of individual and social history. He enriched his language with images rooted in cultural symbols and memories, and the artist did not confine himself to a single style. Adopting a photo-realistic approach during his academy years, he turned to social realism after graduation. In the political climate of the September 12th coup, he turned towards abstraction. It has progressed.
Source: https://sonsoz.com.tr/timora-sanatta-tarihin-kesisim-noktasi-donusum-sola-sergisi-acildi