British artist displays Göbeklitepe paintings at a new exhibition

ISTANBUL

British painter Ned Pamphilon opened an exhibition titled “Göbeklitepe: A jewel on the culture crown of Turkey” in Istanbul.

The artist, known for his works themed around Istanbul and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, presents 70 oil paintings depicting Göbeklitepe, which is considered the oldest settlement in the world located in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa.

Speaking about the exhibition, Pamphilon said Göbeklitepe was one of the most important discoveries in the world.

“This exhibition introduces the ancient site of Göbeklitepe. It is said that the settlement is 11,600 years old.

Professor Robert Schoch believes the pyramids of Giza in Egypt are older than 5,000 years. According to common belief, the pyramids cannot be older than 5,000 years. Then there is Göbeklitepe, which is double this age,” he said.

Pamphilon stated Göbeklitepe is key in shedding light on the history of mankind.

““Göbeklitepe is a symbol raising the value of the history of mankind.

“It also has a relationship with other ancient cities in the world. There are ancient settlements around the world like Stonehenge in Britain, pyramids in Peru and Bosnia, as well as an ancient city in Indonesia. But it is said that Göbeklitepe is the oldest and most important ancient settlement in the world.

It is in your country and you own it. This is magnificent,” said the artist.

Pamphilon pointed out the importance of Göbeklitepe. “What I have tried to do here is draw attention to this issue. The paintings here are directly related to Göbeklitepe.

“All Göbeklitepe paintings that I have done so far are in this exhibition. I was in Atatürk’s Mausoleum on Children’s Day on April 23, 2015. The next day, I made my first visit to Göbeklitepe and decided it would be my next project. We spoke with Alp [Armutlu], who is my project partner. I had not been involved in the exhibition process. I only made the paintings. He organized everything,” he said.

Ned Pamphilon

Pamphilon’s work is represented by the art platform İstanbul1881, which presents images from Istanbul and Turkey.

Born in 1963 in London, Pamphilon first visited Turkey in 1988. He has opened exhibitions in different regions, from Texas to Saudi Arabia to Malaysia, but Istanbul and Turkey have become central to his life.

He decided to contribute to highlighting and promoting Turkey and Turkish people to the wider world.

Pamphilon produced his first public exhibition in Turkey at the Grand Bazaar in 1999.

Since then, he has developed a reputation for painting people and places in Turkey and Istanbul.

The exhibition “Göbeklitepe: A jewel on the culture crown of Turkey” can be seen at 42 Maslak through Nov. 19.