“All great transcendental art is not merely symbolic or imaginary: it is a direct invitation to recognize and realize a deeper dimension of our very own being,” wrote Ken Wilber in the foreword to The Mission of Art by Alex Grey. And so it was with a stunning piece of performance art by Sumer Erek on […]
London’s Turkish community may be celebrating its centenary in Britain, but there are few books on its history, personalities and heritage. Sociologist and documentary-maker Semra Eren-Nijhar has been at the forefront of researching the community. Earlier this year her latest book titled Turks In London: The Unheard Voices was published in paperback. The 237-page book […]
In 1977 Muharrem Özdemir was 19 and his friend just 18, both gifted Cypriot teenagers studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul when they were forcibly abducted and held captive for a day before being shot by Turkish fascists. Before his death, Muharrem’s friend had begun a portrait of him. This unfinished […]
It’s not often an event promoter combines amazing live music with art in a historic setting and all for a good cause, but that’s exactly what consultant Zeynep Ober sets out to achieve with Painting Meets Music. While the event name lacks imagination, the evening’s contents certainly sparkle. Renowned flautist Şefika Kutluer performs, accompanied […]
Sümer Erek continues with his Mediterranean themed art with a new exhibition that opens in the heart of East London next week. In his latest collection, Erek, who is of Turkish Cypriot origin, pieces together Mediterranean culture. He starts by remarking a ‘single sea shore’. To these he adds elements that reflect the behaviour, lifestyle, and […]
In his latest exhibition Yeasting the Canvas, explores the links between the ‘basic’ need and the ’divine’ pursuit, between the ‘fundamental’ and the ‘sophisticated’, leaving the question of ‘which is which’ to his audience. As a conceptual artist, Sümer regularly uses everyday items to challenge established viewpoints. Here, it is food that takes centre […]
The world around us is forever changing. When we speak to those who have undergone major transformations in their own lives, what do they say and what is it that we hear? Hosted at 5th Base Gallery in Whitechapel, The Stories They Told is a new exhibition featuring the fragments of what four diverse artists […]
A new exhibition by two award-winning Cypriot artists has opened today with a private viewing at the 12 Star Gallery in London. The work of Sümer Erek (pictured prepping for the exhibition) and Frixos Papantoniou will be on show to the public until 17 June. Called Of Time and Space, the two artists explain the […]
