25 Sep 2018

A Turkish diplomat hosted an art exhibition at Thapong Visual Arts Centre as a way of sharing her country’s culture and heritage with Batswana.

Speaking at the opening of her exhibition, Gülşen İpiçürük, Third Secretary at the embassy of Turkey to Botswana said what inspired her to do the exhibition was her wanting to introduce and show what her country looks like.

“After having lived in Botswana for nine months, I realised that not many people know about Turkey, even where it is located.

That is why I organised such a project not only including my paintings, but also traditional Turkish marble arts and Turkish songs, which are all performed by members of the Turkish embassy, Oğuz Köşker and Yasemin Kimyacıoğlu,” she said.

She said she was excited to have had the chance to exhibit her work in Botswana.

“This is my first exhibition as a diplomat and have the honour of representing my country through my paintings,” continued İpiçürük.

Her exhibition is titled Turkish Reflections and is aimed at reflecting Turkey and its stunning landmarks like İstanbul, Bosphoros, Galata Tower, Maiden’s Tower, Whirling Dervishes, Cappadocia, Bodrum, Traditional Turkish patterns and works of marble arts.
 

One of the artworks that she displayed was titled Traditional Loom in Anatolia and it is an oil painting on canvas.
“Turks brought their carpet weaving tradition along with them when they migrated from Central Asia towards the West, enshrined in the thousands of colours and motifs incorporated in fabrics that have preserved their expressive power and character to the present day,” she said about the artwork.

İpiçürük said Turkish carpets occupy a very special position in their cultural heritage.

She said carpet-weaving, carried out on various types of looms without the benefit of modern appliances and demanding most meticulous handling at every stage of its production, from the preparation by the old traditional methods of the warp, weft and knot to the application of the natural dyes.

Some of her previous solo exhibitions include Göz Nur’m (Pupil of My Eye) in 2008, On Tabloda Türkiye (Turkey in Ten Paintings) also in 2008, İlkim” (My First) and İlk Dokunuş (First Touch) both in 2007.
İpiçürük said she started art at the age of four  with the inspiration of her father, who is an art teacher and a painter.
“Since then art conquered my life as I did paintings, joined art works, won competitions, opened solo exhibitions in my homeland and abroad, and even wrote my mastersthesis about contemporary art in Turkey,” she said.

For his part, coordinator of Thapong Visual Arts Centre Reginald Bakwena said he was happy about the possible cultural exchange Botswana artists could have with their Turkish counterparts.

He said the exhibition proved that a mutual understanding does exist between the two countries and hopes for more projects aimed at exchanging culture and heritage knowledge.

The exhibition was also attended by the Turkish ambassador to Botswana, Ibrahim Yagli along with other dignitaries, and he thanked the Cordinator of Thapong VisualArts Center for the support he rendered ad for organising the exhibition at such a short period of time.

“In their social time my staff is occupied through their personal talents as proven today.

Gülşen İpiçürük, third secretary and head of consular (Art paintings), Oğuz deputy chief of mission (Marble Art Paintings) and his Personal assistant, Yassemin Kimyacioglu, a talented vocalist, and I am pleasantly surprised by the talent my team has,” he said. Ends