The Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre (BACC) is putting on a solo exhibition from Mr. Devrim Erbil, a leading master of contemporary Turkish art, between 11 August and 13 September 2015 with the support of The Turkish Embassy, Bangkok, and sponsored by Turkish Airlines. The official opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday 14th August 2015 at 6.30pm.
Titled ‘Poetic Abstractions from Istanbul in Bangkok’, the exhibition explores Istanbul through the eye of one of Turkey’s most respected contemporary artists. The exhibition is the first solo exhibition of paintings by a Turkish artist at the BACC and is supported by the Turkish Embassy in Bangkok.
Bangkok Public Relations Ltd. Telephone 0-2664 9500
Kanthicha Bunphokaew (ext 112) or Pattima Konphai (ext 113)
Sponsored by
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ABOUT DEVRIM ERBIL
Devrim Erbil brings geographically diverse background to his art. He studied in Madrid, Barcelona, Paris and London. At an early age, he showed promise, and was elected Turkey’s ‘Young Artist of the Year’ in 1968. He was awarded the prestigious title of a ‘State Artist’ of Turkey by 1991.
Unusually, he combines administrative talent with artistic talent and has been a keen promoter of Turkish art. He has served as President of the Turkish Association of Contemporary Arts, President of the Association of Visual Arts, and as Director of the Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture.
DEVRIM ERBIL SPEAKS ABOUT HIMSELF
A Few Words about My Art and Life
• I work all the time. My paintings during my childhood were like re-discovering nature. I still feel the same excitement.
• I was very conscious about my choice of profession. I have never doubted I made the right decision to follow my passion, even though I know how hard it is to make a profession out of being an artist. If I were to be reborn, I would make the same decision.
• I made lots of valuable friendships during my years as a student at the academy. And of course, I was very much influenced by my master, Bedri Rahmi Eyuboglu. Students who could take this great influence and then go further beyond, became real artists.
• From an early age, I wanted to spread my passion for art. That’s why I have worked at art institutions, lecture, and participate in cultural activities and the activities of museums.
• The urban texture of Anatolian towns’ is an essential theme of my art.
• I like to capture the reality of the nature and give it a poetic nuance and create poetry in nature.
• I believe paintings must be seen to come alive, and be seen by as many people as possible. They should not be locked up and kept for limited viewership. I want to create paintings which can be viewed by hundreds of people at the same time. That’s why I study different techniques and materials like mosaic, ceramic, tapestry and stained glass.
• That’s also why I am particularly interested in art that can be reproduced, such as those produced through the techniques of etching and silk-screening.
• It takes a long time to create and improve my paintings, but I also know that I have limited time...
• I often start on many paintings at the same time. At any given time, there is always progress.
• I am excited by my paintings and share my excitement unreservedly with those around me.
• My paintings are poems. And they integrate art with life. I just want to make people happy looking at them.
• When a subject enters to my paintings, it can’t move out easily, like the rhythm of trees, birds and the motion of the sea.
