On going exhibition at The Empire Project Gallery (Istanbul)

The Empire Project Gallery opened the Protected content with a collection of brand new drawings from Mehmet Güleryüz. (one of Turkey’s most important living artists.) This selection of works is another significant milestone in the near 60 year artistic career of one of the foremost draftsmen of his generation. The body of work will be on display between January 19th till March 17th at The Empire Gallery located in Cihangir the artistic heart of Istanbul.

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Drawing comprises the core of Güleryüz’s artistic practice; “His fundamental beliefs that the artist should address in their works the essential problems of their times, and that in doing so, it is necessary but not sufficient that they have natural artistic capacity, expert technical training and a broad knowledge of art history. In addition the artist must have a philosophy and an opinion formulated out of a well developed and a very broadly based practice of observing and thinking to follow and analyze events and to criticize.” It is inherent in his process and necessary to it that the image is forged on the spot and in one continuous flow of thinking, feeling and physical making.

It is nowhere clearer than in his drawings that the ongoing activity of physical making and specifically the creation and manipulation of the scenarios of the continual drama of his inner world serve for Güleryüz a necessary life function. It is by means of his art that he processes both the outer world of his experience and the inner world of his emotional responses to it.