Mamut Art Project enlightens city with its unique show

HATICE UTKAN ÖZDEN

Mamut Art Project, an event that has been organized in Istanbul’s Bomontiada for the eighth time this year, with the choicest of art collections, is welcoming 49 contemporary artists from all over Turkey.

“Even though we are experiencing strange times because of the pandemic, we think that we are destined to do this event. So, we were determined to organize the event again this year,” said Seren Kohen, founding director of Mamut Art Project.

The event, which is taking place at Bomontiada in Istanbul, is hosting different artists that have expertise in various kinds of mediums. One will have the opportunity to witness the art made using different techniques and approaches.

“This year the Mamut Art Project will also have an online presence. We have launched a website in order to reach the audience via online platforms,” said Kohen, adding that the website will also have a free art consultancy.

“We have prepared videos for each artist with a motive to provide information about artists and make their art reachable from anywhere. The visitors may visit the two-week event with reservation,” she said.

Once again, the artworks have been chosen with care. This year the jury has chosen some of the best works from 1,500 applications that it had received. Collector Erol Tabanca, artist Selçuk Artut, artist Aslı Çavuşoğlu, curator Çelenk Bafra, and the owner of Art Sümer Gallery, Aslı Sümer, were the members of this year’s jury.

Artworks from different mediums

This year the art enthusiasts will have the opportunity to witness art in a different light. The show features distinct techniques that are awe-inspiring. Among them, Doğan Demir’s works are worthy to note as he has presented his genuine approach in his artworks. Using artificial intelligence algorithms, Demir is using a coding technique in his works to create a piece that symbolizes and looks like a part of nature.

“I use the pixel sorting technique and thanks to this technique I can manage to work with colors, contrast and depth the way I like. The result is a unique artwork that seems like a photograph,” Demir said.

Taylan Demirbiler’s ink on paper works is reflecting a world and a landscape that we can only witness in sci-fi movies or books. His ability to use the pen with detailed moves makes it possible to create a different landscape that we can only imagine in our minds. His figures are elegant and transitive.

Cem Öztürk’s linocut works amaze the viewer both for its intriguing technique and its references. Öztürk’s main concern was to describe the fear and somehow show us how we live with it all our lives. Fairy tales, folkloric tales, urban legends, monsters, and all kinds of ogres and bogymen are well depicted in the pieces of his works. The gothic nature of his artworks is quite captivating.

Maral Taşkıran’s seven major sins interpretation made with ceramics is another inspiring work featured in the event. Taşkıran manages to express herself through her artworks using the medium of ceramics and drawing tattoo-like figures on them to show how the sense and perspective of these sins have changed in modern times.

Mehmet Can Gürsoy’s drawings well depict his poetic approach where has tried to highlight one’s feelings, intuition and thoughts. Using large scale canvasses, he has tried to depict his approach in a very polite yet impactful manner.

With a focus on presenting independent creative artists across Turkey and providing an exhibition platform, Mamut Art Project has been working for the past eight years for the upliftment of artists by providing them with portfolio days, supporting networking between artists and art professionals and serving as a professional development consultancy.

The event will be continuing until Nov. 8.

To access the works online, one can visit the website, mamutartproject.com/2020, which is dedicated to providing access to the artist’s works, free consultancy services for visitors, and aims in the future to develop into an international platform connecting Mamut artists with art lovers all around the globe.