by MUGE AKGUN
Mehmet Aksoy’s exhibition ‘Human Natures’ is on display at Gallery Isik Tesvikiye.
Sculptor Mehmet Aksoy is displaying his recent works at an exhibition titled ‘Human Natures’ at Gallery I??k in Te?vikiye. Aksoy, who doesn’t like the concept of contemporary art, said that art cannot have pretensions but is universal
Mehmet Aksoy, whose works are currently on display at Galeri I??k in Istanbul’s Te?vikiye neighborhood, is a master sculptor whose career spans over four decades.
He began developing an interest in sculpting while taking classes in 1960 at the Istanbul State Fine Arts Faculty Department of Painting. After graduating from the school, he worked as an assistant for a short time and went to London with a state scholarship. Not enjoying conceptual art – which was popular there – however, he moved to Berlin and began his doctorate at the Üniversität der Künste.
Aksoy returned to Istanbul in 1978 and worked for the academy as a lecturer but was forced to leave again following the Sept. 12, 1980 military coup.
During this period, he became one of Germany’s leading sculptors creating sculptures in the Kreuzberg quarter of central Berlin and nearby Postdam.
Later, he joined the Istanbul Biennial with his project, “?ahmeran Masallar?” (Tales of the ?ahmeran). While he was awarded the Sedat Simavi Plastic Arts Prize in 1991, his sculpture in Ankara was harshly criticized by Mayor Melih Gökçek.
Meanwhile, he created “Ay?-Bo?a” (Bear-Bull) in front of the Istanbul Stock Exchange, or ISE, building in 1995 and the “Kybele Çe?mesi” (Kybele Fountain) in the courtyard of the ?? Bank Towers in 2001. The sculpture he created for the 108th anniversary of famous Turkish poet Naz?m Hikmet was placed in Poets’ Park in Havana, Cuba, on Jan. 15 of this year.
Aksoy’s women
The artist, who has generally focused on human nature and social problems in his works over the past 45 years, is now displaying 30 works, mostly including female figures made of marble, stone and bronze at the Te?vikiye gallery until March 6.
Enjoying marble the most, he said, “It is very suitable to my character, it always gives one a surprise.” For him, marble is the “aristocrat of stones” because all of the tones of light can be seen on marble.
Aksoy thinks there are many talented marble masters in Turkey but has been disheartened that more have turned to sculpting. Throughout his long career, Aksoy has studied Egyptian, Syriac, Indian, Mayan and African art forms, as well as both primitive and modern techniques; in the end, however, he said he prefers carving marble with traditional methods.
Hurriyet for more