ODTÜ art festival opens today in capital

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey’s internationally acclaimed pianist İdil Biret is among the artists to take the stage at the festival, which has become a tradition in Ankara.

ODTÜSanat 14, the ODTÜ art festival presenting many art events from theater to film screenings as well as workshops and exhibitions, will begin today at the Culture Congress Center in Ankara. The event will host significant figures like pianist İdil Biret, guitar virtuoso Ahmet Kanneci and musician Ayhan Sicimoğlu & Latin All Stars. 

From this year forward the ODTÜ Art Festival, which hit the road to support education and became one of Ankara residents’ traditional events, will be organized with the title “ODTÜSanat” and feature an annual theme. 

This year, the 14th edition of the festival will display more than 70 works by 36 artists as well as other events. The festival, which mostly focuses on painting, sculpture, ceramics, printing and video, has a new event this year in the form of a social responsibility project. 

The 2013 theme is “city” and brings together artists in a selection committee composed of Yunus Tonkuş, Zeynep Yasa Yaman, Tansel Türkdoğan, Esra Aliçavuşoğlu and Ayşegül Sönmez to write about “city / art” as part of the festival. 

Another new event of ODTÜSanat will be a program on selective music, theater plays and films. The aim is to present plays that have never been staged.

The events of the festival, which will continue until April 21, will be open to art lovers in the city, especially students. The exhibition will be visited for free and scholarship students can attend the events for free as well. Additionally, Hasan Pekmezci will organize free workshop as part of the festival. 

Other musicians in the festival will be Ekrem Öztan of Saffet Bayka, Emre Şen, the Eskişehir Municipality Orchestra, Emrehan Halıcı and Ankara musicians, Tango +, the Air Force Band and the Eagles of the Jazz Orchestra, Ceyhun Güneş of Mavi Siyah Flamenko and the String Inspirations Quintet.