Turkevi Center in New York holds ceramics exhibition on Anatolian civilizations

By Mucahit Oktay

NEW YORK (AA) - Symbols of millennia-old Anatolian civilizations were put on display on Thursday in a ceramics exhibition at the Turkevi Center in New York .

Pinar Guzelgun Hangun, the artist whose works are being shown at the Beyond Layers exhibition, said in her opening speech that clay was the first material with which humans expressed their emotions in ancient times.

"So, I think ceramics that convey to us the stages of human history has somehow a sacred side," said Hangun, who completed the design and production process of the exhibition in New York.

The artist, who has pursued an academic career in both art and engineering in ceramics and glass, said that works that do not connect with tradition cannot be permanent.

"The awareness and sensitivity developed by living in a multinational and multicultural city was the beginning of this journey," she said.

Reyhan Ozgur, Turkey's consul general in New York, said the exhibition was a product of a year of designing efforts and over four months of production.

Ozgur underlined the value of the exhibition, saying that it brought the story of civilizations that are thousands of years old to New York.

The exhibition will remain open to visitors until Dec. 1 at the Turkevi Center.