Çatalhöyük source of inspiration for artists

ISTANBUL

The exhibition "The Trace of Memory: The Neolithic City of Çatalhöyük" is on display at the Atatürk Culture Center (AKM) Gallery.

Curated by Siret Uyanık, the exhibition is jointly organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry and the Konya Metropolitan Municipality. The project is being coordinated by Uyanık and Çatalhöyük Excavation Director Associate Professor Ali Umut Türkcan.

It consists of nearly 40 works in the fields of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, wood prints, glass work and video installations, created by 23 artists by interpreting the information provided by the excavation directors in Çatalhöyük.

“When Çatalhöyük was first excavated 60 years ago, it was one of the most important archaeological discoveries in world history. It is a place with the world's firsts, such as the world's largest city, its first city, the world's first murals, and the first religious structures," Türkcan said about the exhibition.

Uyanık defined Çatalhöyük as a living space with rich symbols and underlined that the symbols shed light on interesting data about the lifestyle of that period. She stated that Çatalhöyük is a source of inspiration for artists and that they produce original works meeting the past with today's interpretation.

Located on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Neolithic City of Çatalhöyük is a prehistoric settlement that offers a way of life that spans over 9,100 years and 1,000 years. The city's wall paintings, which feature hundreds of abstract and figurative compositions, including the city's own plan, continue to inspire today's artists.

The exhibition aims to combine Türkiye's rich archaeological heritage with contemporary art, giving viewers the opportunity to experience the traces of the past from a modern perspective.

The special exhibition, which comes from the historical richness of Türkiye’s geography, offers visitors a unique discovery experience with its works that interpret the rich past of prehistoric Çatalhöyük, which is known to the world but not interpreted much in modern art, from the perspective of contemporary artists.

Contemporary artists are exploring the search for memory and meaning from an artistic perspective, inspired by the rich past of Çatalhöyük.

The exhibition includes different disciplines of modern art; the traces of the past are translated into a contemporary language using different art forms such as painting, sculpture, ceramics and installation. The archaeological heritage of Çatalhöyük meets with contemporary art concepts. Artists are exploring the interaction between the past and the present.

The artists in the exhibition are Ayhan Yılmaz, Aykut Öz, Ayşe Sezer, Bünyamin Özgültekin, Cenk Mısırlıoğlu, Ekrem Kahraman, Elif Aydoğdu Ağatekin, Habip Aydoğdu, Halil Akdeniz, Hasan Kıran, Hasan Pekmezci, İlham Enveroğlu, Mehmet Ali Doğan, Meliha Yılmaz, Mutlu Başkaya, Mutluhan Taş, Nadire Şule Atılgan, Onur Hastürk, Rıdvan Coşkun, Ruşen Polat, Serap Ünal, Siret Uyanık and Tuba Merdeşe.

The exhibition, which will be open until Jan. 7, 2024, is set to be moved to international platforms.