"The
Turkish stand is particularly good this year," I was
told at the ticket booth of the Sculpture Objects and Functional
Art Fair (SOFA), which took place these past few days at the
Park Avenue Armory in New York. And indeed it was.
As I am spending some time in the city, I am taking advantage
of its cultural riches. Strolling across Central Park on a
perfect spring morning to reach the venue only added to the
pleasure of visiting this exhibition of decorative arts. Art
galleries and dealers from all over the world were displaying
the works of dozens of artists. A dazzling array of beautiful
objects was on display: jewelry, ceramics, sculptures, pieces
of furniture.
It was the 12th SOFA fair, and the third time
the Turkish Cultural Foundation, which plays an active role
in the promotion of Turkish culture in America, had rented
a stand to exhibit the work of Turkish artists. This year,
the focus was on Meriç Hizal, Seçkin Pirim and
Esma Paçal Turam. Three sculptors, three very different
art forms: Hizal plays with time with sun dials carved of
wood and metal. Turam displayed tall paper figures, visually
arresting, while Pirim showed Plexiglas sculptures.
I had a chance to chat with Pirim, a graduate
of Mimar Sinan University who produces sculptures with powerful
visual appeal by layering laser-cut sheets of Plexiglas. Out
of a block of inert material, he creates depth, soft lines
and a sense of movement. I was pleased to see a red dot, signaling
a sale, on his main piece, a masterful combination of curved
sheets of Plexiglas that merged in a spiraling effect.
Surviving as an artist is not easy anywhere.
In Turkey, where appreciation for art has yet to spill beyond
the confines of a small elite group, it is perhaps harder
still. Pirim was particularly struck by a conversation that
he had the day before with a knowledgeable visitor, who turned
out to be a street sweeper. In Turkey, art has only begun
to be taught in primary schools and has yet to be enjoyed
by the general public, but he noted with satisfaction the
growing trend toward greater awareness.
There is no shortage of interesting artists in Turkey, he
told me, but too few opportunities. Out of the 50 students
who had studied fine arts with him, only two were still working
artists. The government has scant resources to devote to the
promotion of the arts, and politicians may not see it as an
important item on the budget.
He had visited the art departments of universities in New
York and was impressed by the amount of equipment and materials
the students could experiment with. In a public university,
he even found the expensive laser cutter he uses to work with
Plexiglas. In Istanbul, he has to get it right with his first
attempt because gaining access to the equipment is costly.
This clearly hadn't stopped him from producing pieces that
more than held their own in this international environment,
but he acknowledged that he sometimes had to discard ideas
for projects simply because they involved an investment that
he couldn't afford.
In the absence of much state support for the arts, the Turkish
Cultural Foundation is clearly performing an important function.
Aside from the SOFA fair in New York, they also showcase Turkish
artists at a similar annual meeting point of dealers and collectors
in Chicago. They also sponsor a wide range of other activities
to make Turkey better known: festivals, lectures and study
tours to Turkey for American school teachers. In Istanbul,
they also organize a lecture series on cultural and historical
topics that are well worth attending.
Istanbul was also featured in the Style magazine of The New
York Times this Sunday. I am ashamed to say that several of
the hip and stylish spots mentioned in the article were unknown
to me. Just goes to show that sometimes one has to leave to
become more aware of what is available at home.
