NOVEMBER 4 – DECEMBER 7 2017 /// ÇAĞLA CABAOĞLU ART GALLERY

SOLO EXHIBITION

Kurt Bullend was born in 1959 in Istanbul. Despite having a degree in economics, he decided to make his living from painting. The female figures are at the forefront of his works starting with charcoal and continuing with oil painting. Discovering the hyperrealist art was a turning point for him which determined his artistic production and researches in this field. For a year and a half, he carried out research projects about hyperrealism in Paris while working on hyperrealism in various studios of different artists, both in Turkey and abroad. He lived in Moscow for two years and such experience made significant contributions to the development of his artistic language. Kurt Bullend currently works in his studio in Istanbul.

The main theme of the works of the artist that has been determined by the style of hyper-realistic creation, is based upon the existential philosophy. While spiritual topics such as ego-innocence come to the fore in his works, the perception of reality and the distortion of reality are questioned.

The artist, who questions the modern life that people perceive as a reality, shows us the fact that what we actually live is the fiction of a false self who gets used to the rules imposed on us by the social life. Through his works, once again he reminds us our primary of existence by drawing attention to the innocent self that exists in every spiritual being from its birth of the individual who lost his innocence and turned into a fiction again in the fictional universe created by human.

© Nilgün Yüksel

OCTOBER 24 – NOVEMBER 25 2017 /// ÇAĞLA CABAOĞLU ART GALLERY

SOLO EXHIBITION

Bengüer who was born in Amasya, Turkey in 1960, worked for a while as a textile designer in Istanbul after graduated from the State Academy of Fine Arts. Later on, he focused on interior design and decoration.

The artist, whose a large part of works has been included also in private collections, is working not only on painting but on sculpture; while he carries the multilingualism of today’s creation to his works, he designs furniture in addition to making productions in these two disciplines.

Murat Bengüer said about his production:

“My works reflect my approach towards life and art… ‘less is more”.

In Bengüer’s works, in which lyricism makes itself apparent at his every brush stroke, it is not difficult to feel the dynamism progressing in an endless cycle particular to the abstract. Besides that, such works indicate a special language where the texture has been transformed into an expression on its own and the details have become evident and the minimal ones have reproduced the expression. That is the language of a partnership which is silent, wordless.. His language that does not need any other word, but is transformed into a testimony of a universal agreement, understanding and comprehension…

© Nilgün Yüksel

Kurt Bullend

BIOGRAPHY / ISTANBUL, 1959

Kurt Bullend graduated from Marmara University School of Economics.

Although he was educated in economics, he is sustaining his living by painting. In his works of art starting with charcoal and continuing with oil paint, particularly female figures were at all times prevalent. Following being introduced with hyper-realism, he developed his art in this direction. In this subject, he worked at the workshops of artists both locally as well as abroad. Throughout the duration of one and a half years he was at Paris, he conducted research in hyper-realism and lived in Moscow for two years.

While generating his works with main theme consisting of existence philosophy, Bullend selecting hyper-realism, is processing such spiritual subjects like ego and innocence. The artist questioning modern urban life perceiving by people as reality, is demonstrating that the reality taught us is false ego getting used to the rules imposed to us by modern urban life. He attracts attention to the innocent self-ego of man as a spiritual entity in existence ever since birth.

2015
I am Innocent

oil on canvas
175 x 175 cm
2015

2015
Breath

oil on canvas
175 x 175 cm
2015

2016
I Love Myself

oil on canvas
157 x 210 cm
2016

2016
I Forgive You

oil on canvas
180 x 160 cm
2016

2016
The Journey Home

oil on canvas
180 x 160 cm
2016

2016
This is Me

oil on canvas
175 x 175 cm
2016

2017
Speak Out

oil on canvas
175 x 175 cm
2017

2017
Other

oil on canvas
175 x 175 cm
2017

2017
Child

oil on canvas
175 x 175 cm
2017

2016
Word is Magic - I

oil on canvas
30 x 40 cm
2016

2016
Word is Magic - IV

oil on canvas
30 x 40 cm
2016

2016
Word is Magic - V

oil on canvas
40 x 30 cm
2016

02 – 05 MARCH 2017 /// NEW YORK, USA

GROUP EXHIBITION

Baris Saribas – Beyza Boynudelik – Bubi – Ekin Ergok – Ekrem Yalcindag – Emir Uras – Ergin Inan – Ertugrul Ates – Evren Erol – Fatmagul Karadeniz – Fulya Asyali – Gokhan Deniz – Gulce Yelken – Gulveli Kaya – Gunes Cinar – Gunseli Kato – Husamettin Kocan – Kurt Bullend – Levent Morgok – Murat Germen – Nadide Akdeniz – Necip Baykara – Onay Akbas – Ozan Turkkan – Rengin Altinalmaz – Ruchan Sahinoglu – Selin Selgur – Seydi Murat Koc – Sira Oflaz – Varol Topac – Yusuf Taktak – Zeynep Dilek Cetiner

After its participation in Scope Miami Art Show, Çağla Cabaoğlu Gallery took part in Scope New York Art Show between March 02 and 06, 2017, with an installation titled “Istanbul’s Cabinet of Curiosities”, comprising of the works of 32 contemporary Turkish artists.

Following Miami Scope Art Show, Çağla Cabaoğlu Gallery introduced this time a mural collage installation of multidisciplinary works inspired by the city, stepping forth from the cultural layers of Istanbul. With this exhibition Çağla Cabaoğlu Gallery attracts attention to the relationship between Turkey’s contemporary art practices and Anatolian culture as the junction, intersection of civilizations throughout the ages as well as today’s world: thirty two artists from different generations, living and producing at varied geographies, nourished by their habitat, contemporary practices of art, Anatolia’s cultural heritage and their personal experiences.

“Cabinet of Curiosities”, originated with the discovery impetus of the Renaissance, initially brought together items which were discrepant, amazing and heterodox. Then, re-introduced the eclectic structure posed within the framework of a homogeneous universe ranging from a collection to the idea and concept of a museum. Cabinet of Curiosities is a symbol of curiosity, research, and inquiry, propagating knowledge, prestige and new perspectives. Further to being a symbolic conveyance of the personal universe, a transformation of whatever belongs to the culture and accumulation of humanity.

“Istanbul‘s Cabinet of Curiosities” concept is at the same time a suggestion regarding intercultural dialogue and transitivity.

While the concept of Istanbul‘s Cabinet of Curiosities highlighted the movement of the culture over the trade routes of the Phoenicians from Istanbul to the Mediterranean and from there to South America, as well as the indicators of a process that signifies a dialogue with similarities and diversities, the project also remarks the productions of artists coming from different generations and geographies of Istanbul, which is an unusual and special world city composed of different cultural layers.

Çağla Cabaoğlu Gallery generated this project through rare works of very specific artists selected from amongst the exclusive and setting sail on a new odyssey in pursuit of the historical accumulation. Following the footsteps of civilization ever since the Phoenicians, is reshaping Turkey’s artists living and creating in the 21st century in soils not too distant apart. And is bringing together the époque-integrated works of those artists impersonating such terra with the mutual language of the greater global terrain.

CATALOG (PDF)

29 NOVEMBER – 04 DECEMBER 2016 /// MIAMI, USA

GROUP EXHIBITION

Baris Saribas – Bedri Baykam – Beyza Boynudelik – Bubi – Ebru Duruman – Ekrem Kahraman – Ekrem Yalcindag – Emir Uras – Ergin Inan – Ertugrul Ates – Evren Erol – Fatmagul Karadeniz – Fulya Asyali – Gokhan Avcioglu – Gokhan Deniz – Gulce Yelken – Gulveli Kaya – Gunes Cinar – Gunseli Kato – Hakan Cinar – Halil Akdeniz – Harun Antakyali – Hasan Cem Araptarli – Husamettin Kocan – Huseyin Arda – Kerem Agrali – Kurt Bullend – Levent Morgok – Nadide Akdeniz – Necip Baykara – Murat Germen – Onay Akbas – Ozan Turkkan – Rengin Altinalmaz – Ruchan Sahinoglu – Serpil Kapar – Seydi Murat Koc – Ugur Caki – Varol Topac – Yigit Yazici

Çağla Cabaoğlu Gallery took part at Scope Miami Art Show between November 29 and December 04, 2016 with an installation of 9×3 m titled “Istanbul’s Cabinet of Curiosities”, comprising of the works of 42 contemporary Turkish artists.