Ferhat Özgür, artist, art critic, academic and curator, prefers to feel his existence in every part of art. He proves this in his new exhibition titled “The Room of Emotion.” at Ankara’s Gallery Nev.
In his new exhibition Özgür interprets an old story in a contemporary way. He reveals the underlying “emotional situations” which occur inside us and tries to reflect his observations about actual events.
The exhibition consists of work produced in various mediums such as drawing, photography and video, split into three sections. There are two photographs and a video inspired from the story of “Cimon and Pero,” a series of photographs taken at Lohring subway in Bochum and seven drawings.
One of the significant works is of “Cimon and Pero,” a story dating back to ancient Roman times that was commissioned by Mr. Ahmet Merey, who has a private collection dedicated entirely to this story.
The story has been interpreted by several masters in art history. “I was asked whether I could produce ‘Pero’ as both a video and a photographic study, and was pleased to accept the challenge,” said Özgür.
Pero and Cimon is a story about a daughter and her father. The daughter, Pero, saves her father’s life by secretly breastfeeding him after he is sent to prison and sentenced to death by starvation.
As Özgür developed as an artist he examined the metropolitan city and the “changing tides” of the urban landscape as a phenomenon. “I grasp fragments of memory with respect to these evolving places and times and search for answers to the question of how any place or any piece of land can become a city,” he said.
His perception of the city and fragments of memory can be seen in his work, for example Lohring subway in Bochum, “I took the photographs when I stayed there on an artist-in-residence program in 2006,” he said. “Of all the stations in Bochum, Lohring was the most impressive one. I immediately wanted to create something related to it. Upon my request, the curators of the Bochum Museum provided me with three volunteer models to pose nude.”
“My aim was to reflect the contrast between the natural structure of the human body and the perfection of the architecture. In order to make the scene look dramatic I asked models to portray anxiety, fear and distress.”
Özgür’s work deals with the society, culture, politics and geography of our surroundings.
“Despite the fact that my art is based on painting, I try to reflect my observations about actual events in the medium most suitable,” he said.
Today contemporary art is saturated with references to issues such as identity, migration and religion which might be considered to be one of the most endless problems of global politics, according to Özgür. Especially since the mid-1990s, numerous international biennales, site-specific projects, historical overviews of modernism and themed group exhibitions have attested to the widespread appeal of these issues by curators and artist alike, he explains.
“Many artists across the world felt the need to develop the relationship between art and social engagement, which to me is an indispensable part of being an artist,” he added.
In this sense, one can suggest that an artist should be aware of what is happening around them yet, on the other hand, it is not a compulsory approach for all artists. Özgür believes that dealing with social situations and the interrogation of cultural matters are the reconciliation of art and life, which might evoke what remains hidden in our lives and what we take for granted to identify with society.
Özgür also commented on the current contemporary art scene of Turkey: “I have never believed that the value of art can be measured by its financial worth but recently we keep reading news items that detail how much specific works have cost, which can mislead the audience. Just because I sell my work for more does not mean it is more valuable than others.” For this reason he does not trust art auctions.
Özgür identifies a problem in what he calls a “world without art critics” and he contributes current art criticism with newspaper correspondents. “It is not necessarily to do with lacking knowledge on art,” he says, “but more to do with lacking the proper skills to work with relevant publications, the focus of the content should be on the deep and permanent issues rather than temporary and popular ones.”
Originally from Ankara but now living in Istanbul, he spent many years organizing exhibitions and trying to promote young artists in Ankara. One exhibition, titled “Word-Tale: Mixed Narrations,” was held at the Ankara’s Hacettepe Art Museum and included some internationally acclaimed artists such as Tracey Emin, Aernout Mik and Anri Sala.
According to Özgür, Ankara is not likely to take Istanbul’s place as the art capital of Turkey. He blames the attitude on the fact that the media are mainly based in Istanbul.
“Even though there are a number of private institutions and state departments in Ankara, which could support the contemporary arts it is not enough and there are many talented artists in Ankara who are not getting recognition elsewhere,” he said.
He explains that in most cases, exhibitions in Ankara are not considered by the Istanbul media unless there is a connection with someone in the press. Despite this, Özgür has faith in Ankara and its artists who can be nourished and continue their work.