How did you get acquainted with painting? How was the reaction of your family as you told them that you are going to be an artist?

This question reveals that there is a general stereotypic approach to art existing in Turkiye. I am son of a doctor. My father is a microbiolog who wrote a book about vet bacteriology. And mostly the doctors leave a job to their sons again related with science. Also architects are little like this. They were expecting me to be a doctor. But in our family there are father-son doctors also which is instead of me.

But there became a big disappointment. Because the kid was drawing! Only and always drawing! In the beginning they were saying “Kid draws well, draws like it there just appears‿. But afterwards they started to say "But making it too like real!". But they were grown-ups so accepted the situation. Actually in the previous times I thought like this: My elder brother is very wise, successful and they just stopped excepting something from me and let me do my drawings on my own.. But afterwards I saw it was not like that!

The time I discover that drawing is not a game but more a job, is around my high school times. Fevziye Tufekci who was a student of Hikmet Onat sends a message to my family telling that I am skillful. Then they took me to the atelier of Hikmet Onat, who is a famous artist in Turkish art history, when I was 12 years old. I first met with a person who does painting that serious.

Hikmet Onat was a strict person. I was only drawing the things which I was interested n like all the other kids. Was drawing imaginary heros. Hikmet Onat got angry to this and said that I am not going to draw those. Then throw green peppers in front of me. I was wishing to draw that times’ popular subjects like James Bond, Doctor No, etc. but he said; "No, you will draw green peppers".

Now I am thinking that I kept on walking with believing him. He was a wise person who was encouraging you really.

What techniques are you using mostly in your artworks?

I use all techniques. I am in love with oil painting. Despite its smell and its late-drying speciality, that’s what makes my painting good. There are times when I start working with acrylic and water based stuff. But I am using oil paint as primary.

In your works we feel stories are being told, and some past memories. Are you fictionising those stories before you start painting or just starting in an improvisional mode and then shapening the emotions?

I saw that all the artworks don’t have a direct link between the beginning and the end. I had friends who did sculptures, cinema, painting or graphics. I always saw this: There is no big similarity between how you first imagined it to be and how it ended up. Painting walks on its own feet. Teaching you stuff, and making you meet with path-leading coincidences.

But of course, generally my subjects are onto 'human'. I am telling all the problems of human, all contradictions and the stories behind the body. There is a story but not in front of the painting. At least it becomes a painting which you can look at it 15 years from now and find clues of today.

As Ataturk was defining the artist, he said "Artist is the person who first feels the light on his head". How would be your definition?

His/her general culture, position and humanist point of view, which makes the person artist. Its not related with artist to make anything that people used to like. You cannot be an artist with behaving as an artist. Ataturk’s quote is very meaningful and deep. But it’s important to percept it well. We see how they perverted a simple and clean quote like "Happy is one who can say one is a Turk" to different sides.

In which period of time and with which artists would you like to share your table and atelier? Can you tell some names who impressed you?

Although it’s a little sick period, I would like to be in Post-Impressionism period. Beginning of Expressionism, 1940’s.. It’s hard to mention a specific name but I like German Expressionism, Max Beckmenn, Otto’s, etc.


What do you think of today’s position of Modern Art and the way it evolves today?

The work of installation may have a waking, spreding around effect on some subjects.

I'd been to a fair in Barcelona. The painting of Monet which is of a figure running in poppy garden hadn’t been let into the museum in the reason of being very beautiful. I went into the hall, the picture was around 30 squaremeters and had brown dots on its own. That much colorful image was looking good with even that brown dots on itself. Was very sweet. I approached a little, and just bolted when 3 feets left between me and the painting. It was written like this below: "Don’t approach to anything this much" Why? Because all that dots were cockroaches.

It was meaningful for that day. But for today there is no point in making it. Installation was something which people can tell the things from a way. Now came to a weird point, became like racing with painting. People who made installations also started to claim that they are also artists. It looks like not beside of something but against it. They are against painting, sculptures. Also they are taking someone who named curator to their back and coming up with an unidentified conclusion. They are telling their works in a hardly understandable way. Shortly, it’s been started to get percepted as an intellectual movement instead of its own starting point.

It’s a good example if it’s getting over the borders, and something new appears over this. When Gauguin opened his exhibition, Degas and his environment humiliated Gauguin and left the hall with a little jealousy. Because in one of the pictures, there was a red dog. Degas who finds Gauguin successful, found it strange with saying "Is there a red dog where you live?" and had left the hall within the guests laughter. There were two people left in hall, Gauguin’s wife and Pisarro, the father of Impressionism. Gauguin’s wife said: "Don’t worry, from now, painting history will not go on like this."

Which one of those can be a nodal in art history? The first examples of installation came to this point but now when I look at the Istanbul Biennial I cant see the same thing. And it wont change from now. They have big sponsors. Wires coming, Tons of glasses coming and they are placing their advertising under it. This changed to a little commercial subject. It experienced top but there is not much left for it to hit the bottom. It has lots of lies inside. Just like a circus…

Are you interested in technology? In these days, we can use all kinds of painting tools, brushes and papers easily with graphic tablets and proper software. What do you think about this? Can digital art substitute for brush and paint?

I am using the technology, using its advantages but I do not allow it to affect my work.

I must touch my hand to it. I’m taking photos of my models, then adjusting colors and tones by using Photoshop. I’m using the technology willy-nilly. But my paintings never resemble my photos.

The man, who is able to do, might be angry about the man who is unable but who makes something that seems nicer. But when you think about the future, it surpasses itself. A work that is made by hand is not like this. If it was, all Velasquez, Monet, Degas paintings would be garbage. But there are lots of things created by computers since 60’s and most of them are garbage at all. Making it by hand increases the value of that work certainly.

You’re giving painting and drawing lessons for a long time. If you have authorization, in what ways would you change the art education in Turkiye?

In the university, you can change something easily. Our government can buy a Picasso painting, a Cezanne. We can exhibit them in a museum. Some good things can happen. But the term before university is much more important I think. We must guide skillful young people after age 12.

And we should also think about the artists of previous generation, if they lived comfortably or not. Today, go to an art academy’s painting program and offer the students a different job. They can change their minds immediately. Because now, they must think about their future and economical problems...

A political party’s president came near me in the art fair. While talking, I said that the government gives only 0.3% for fine arts from the annual budget, again this year. He told me that this is a poor country. “If so, we must give much more to fine arts‿ I answered. Because art is the only thing to develop the country. We don’t want 50%, just 5% will be fine. That’s enough. 0,3% is a shame!

We know that you’re a good music listener and you also play guitar. Could you please tell us how music effects your art?

I like baroque music and jazz and I think these two are connected to each other seriously. Lots of musicians are putting them together and creating new things from them as you know. Some compositions of Bach is being recreated by jazz musicians. I like this kind of music and I can listen them while painting.

I also like opera. But I can’t stand the English ones. I think German is better. I even make paintings with German operas in high volumes.

What about cinema?

I think visual arts are painting, sculpture and cinema! It’s the most important invention of all times. It’s the only way to tell something in such an exciting and enthusiastic way. When I first go out with my girlfriend, we went to watch Spielberg’s E.T. She had cried in that famous scene, can you believe! We know that E.T. is not real but we deeply feel something for it anyway. You cannot do this with something else, even paintings.

I’m always going with cinema. I love classics. Especially Argentinian, Polish and Italian directors. I’ve recently watched Bin-Jip (3-Iron) of a Korean director Kim Ki-Duk. It was amazing. Everything is so real and not! It was telling this. And it inspired me for painting! Yes, all kinds of art support each others.

I might add that I hate American cinema. Of course there are some exceptions but I try not to watch their films and not to make my son watch them, too. There stands an artificial world under its splendour and perfection. It should be more natural. They should let the woman sneeze before kissing the man! Everything will be much better if they can put this naturalness to their films. Remember, an American president saved the world with an airplane. Oh! Do you imagine Bush saving the world?