Rüstem Kitapevi
Within the scope of the joint art activities of Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) and Rüstem Bookstore, Günay Güzelgün's second exhibition titled “The Heart’s Eye” will be launched at Rüstem Bookstore on Monday, 9 November 2020, at 18:30 a.m. by the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ( TRNC) Ersin Tatar. About 80 watercolor and pastel works of the artist will be displayed in the exhibition. These works, like her first exhibition, mostly consist of pieces from the artist's diary, freelance works she painted for herself, her experiments with colors, research she conducted and set herself free. The exhibition will be open to visitors between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. from 9 to 21 November 2020, except Sunday.
Story of the Works
In the exhibition, where mostly the unknown aspects of the artist are to be revealed, there are pieces oriented towards nature, despite Güzelgün's known human-centered works. Leaving an anthropocentricapproach, the artist attempts to come to terms with the environment, life and the universe by focusing on the human being in daily life and nature and the animals accompanying them. The human does not have a privileged structure and importance in her work. S/he exists in nature and is a part of it like other creatures. The human gains meaning and comes to life with nature and environment in her works.
“For Those Who Look and Know How to See”
Making a statement about the exhibition, EMU Art Coordinator and Exhibition Curator Zehra Şonya said, “It can be said that Güzelgün uses color in her paintings in a dominant and evocative manner and therefore has a colorist understanding. " The artist, who used to apply vivid colors in blocks to flat surfaces, moves towards an impressionist style with fast and broken brush strokes, spots and dots in later periods, but also towards an expressive effect due to the intensity of emotion she creates with colors."
Pointing out that Güzelgün's paintings appear before us, emerging from an unforced and undifferentiated inner structure, a childish and pure world, and a state of emotion and energy ready to explode at any moment, Şonya said “It leads us to a place in Gunay's colorful world and makes us smile most of the time. We can say that life itself is recreated with the heart’s eye in Gunay's colorful world and brought to our attention. For those who look and know how to see."
Who is Günay Güzelgün?
She was born in 1944 in the village of Luricina in Cyprus. She graduated from Ankara Gazi Education Institute, Department of Painting in 1968. She settled in Iskele and worked as a teacher for many years. The first solo exhibition of the artist's works, who participated in many group exhibitions between 1982 and 1999, was opened in January 2020 within the scope of EMU-Rüstem Bookstore joint projects. In addition, the artist, who also deals with photography, has a personal exhibition on this subject. Güzelgün still lives and continues her works in Iskele.
