Turkish modern art exhibition kicks off in Netherlands

By Abdullah Asiran

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (AA) - An exhibition featuring Turkish modern art opened in the Netherlands on Dec. 3 and will run until Jan. 1.

The Pulchri Studio Art Center in The Hague is hosting the exhibition, Aura/Contemporary Turkish Art, which was organized by the Independent Art Foundation.

Pinar Gulun Kayseri, undersecretary of the Turkish embassy in The Hague, and Adil Akaltun, director of the Yunus Emre Institute in Amsterdam, were among those attending the event.

Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, of which Anadolu Agency is a Global Communication Partner, Kayseri said she was proud to be present at the exhibition, which showcases the works by Turkish artists, describing artists as cultural ambassadors of Türkiye.

She emphasized that the exhibition is very special, adding: "You will see the works of 18 contemporary Turkish artists at the exhibition, which give the Dutch audience an idea of modern art in our country."

"The Netherlands and Türkiye share a culture of diversity,” she said.

“As friends and allies, Türkiye and the Netherlands have developed a multidimensional partnership over the past four centuries.

“We believe that such events and visits strengthen and improve relations between the two countries,” she underscored.

“We believe that such exchanges between artists, academics or scientists increase mutual understanding and form fruitful partnerships.”

Hulya Yazici, president of the Independent Art Foundation, said: "There is a very rich common language between artists, whose words consist of color and form. Through this language, we have the opportunity to understand each other wherever we are in the world.”

“The artist creates strong invisible connections between the people with the original language he/she has, and this communication makes us become members of humanity as a family,” she underlined.

“This is the primary purpose of this exhibition, which we have been working on for three years, and I hope it will achieve its goal,” she added.

The curator of the exhibition, painter Ahmet Ozel, said the exhibition was delayed for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that 80 works by Turkish artists with different techniques will be on display.

Noting that they attended the opening of the exhibition with 11 artists, Ozel said "the concept title of this exhibition, which aims to give an impetus to art and cultural relations between the Netherlands and Türkiye, is ‘Aura.’”

“Aura expresses their aspirations for a world where borders between countries disappear, where there is no other decoupling of people, where they will live in peace and equality.

“We believe that only art and the atmosphere of breathing art can make this longing a reality,” he pointed out.

Organized with the support of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry as well as the Yunus Emre Institute, the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, Istanbul Gelisim University and various companies, the exhibition will run until Jan. 1.