| ART and CREATIVITY in north Cyprus : A book of interviews by Heidi Trautmann ————————————————————————————————————— 15
19:00 - 29/01 Near
East University, Atatürk Congress Centre
EMAA (European-Mediterranean
Art Association) and Heidi Trautmann cordially invite you to attend
the book launch and opening of exhibition of all the interviewed
artists. Zehra Şonya,
member of the EMAA Board of Executives, speaking for EMAA in the
foreword of the book, says: Heidi Trautmann, painter and writer, a traveller as she calls herself, a traveller in the world of the arts, first became acquainted with representatives from the Cypriot Turkish art scene in 2005. When she and her husband first came here in 1999, she was astonished to find hardly any interaction between the art scenes of national and foreign artists; neither had any knowledge of the other, there were no archives of any sort available to the art lover, no professional art galleries or art museums. Having lived on a sailing boat for six years and having travelled the Mediterranean and its countries, she was most curious to unravel the art scene in the alleys and back alleys of the country to discover the core of life which for her is art and creativity. She found it and since then she has talked her way through to a great percentage of the important artists. This book is a reflection of a people, of a community of artists, randomly chosen for interviews by Heidi Trautmann over a stretch of four years. These four years fell during a period of great impact, hopes and disillusionment. The impact is imprinted in the art work of these artists; but there is also the impact of the past, the fear of the future, the questions that people live with, especially the question of identity. There is not much joy to be found in their art works but there is never mere despair; perhaps there is resignation, but there are also desperate onslaughts against destiny. Thus an important part of the book must be seen in terms of the collaboration between the artists and between the art associations across the divide, a collaboration that has been active for many years. Friendships have blossomed as we all feel that art knows no borders. The artists have welcomed Heidi Trautmann into their studios and their lives, and have confided in her the many experiences of hardship and ways of life that are representative of their people. Images were unrolled before Heidi that cover eras from early in the last century right up to the present. There are also non-Cypriot artists included in the book, artists who have lived here for more than 20 years, who have also experienced the country’s destiny and have contributed in many ways to the cultural image. (North) Cyprus has always been open to multicultural co-existence. So far, only Volume I has been published, containing interviews with visual artists, who work in photography, educational institutions and universities. Heidi Trautmann started working on Volume II a year ago and will cover literature, theatre, music, dance and caricature. She hopes to complete it by the end of 2010, so with hope, the book might be available in 2011. The artists
represented in the exhibition are: |
