Turkish- American Artist Yucel Donmez and Contemporary Arts in Turkey

 

 

By. Williams A. Cohen

 

Turkish-American artist Yucel Donmez probably stands out as the only Turkish artist followed by some famous artists around the world today.

Holding an exhibition in The Art Institute of Chicago’s Junior Museum part in 1987, Donmez introduced his own technique and style to Americans by performing for about 12 days.  Broadcasting live at the museum, American channel WGN not only announced that Yucel Donmez brought a new technique and style to world art, but also ranked the performance in prime time for 2 minutes and 30 seconds and showed live for two days.

 

While nearly 7 million people around America watched his performance on TV; thousands of people were present at the museum. Ed Rucha must have watched his performance that, he exhibited his paintings at Gagosian Gallery in 2012, similar to Yucel Donmez’s marble-like works based upon his book ornamentations.

On the other hand, by using the spin technique which is popular with Americans for a decade, Damien Hirst presented his paintings to the art world.

 

Today, nearly 30 artists have been using Donmez’s technique since late 90’s. Besides, some of those artists had been students of Donmez’s previously.

There are imitators of Yucel Donmez as well and this was criticized by Chicago Tribune’s art critic Alan Artner in his article dated 3rd February 2008.

In 2008 Canadian artist Gordon Halloran made ice painting in Millenium Park and declared that he is the first to do this. In his article, Alan Artner stated that Gordon Halloran's work cannot be even similar to Donmez and by questioning the meaning of showing an imitation as something new, he found out a new follower of Donmez.

Working until 2004 in Chicago, Dönmez released artworks for Turkish subway stations and Taksim Funicular line which is considered as the heart of Taksim. In 1993 Donmez painted the famous “Snow” painting at Grand Park which is today known as Millenium Park of Chicago. He made his performance in two different places. One of them is the Art Institute of Chicago near Millenium Park and the other in Lake Shore.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12-meter square acrylic on metal canvas. Yucel Donmez's this work in metro station of Istanbul's heart area TAKSİM Funicular station artist have 4  works in the same station permanently.

 

 

Donmez placed 82 meters of glass bottom installation to Anatolian Court of Justice, which is considered as the largest Court of the world and to Justice Commission floor.

Also, there are two designs of Donmez which are 300 meters and 100 meters at Kirazli Subway Station.

 

Titled as “Chicago’s Very Own” by WGN Television, Yucel Donmez giving a start to his works in Turkey was criticized by art areas for some reason and exclusion began because of his arrival to America. Being the first artist to draw Snow Painting (1975) in art history, Yucel Donmez is also the first Land Art artist of Turkey. 11 rubble sculptures made by him at Kackar Mountains Kuartat Valley were exhibited in a harmony and called Nature Composition. In those years, the art of installation did not begin yet and probably Yucel Donmez was the first to highlight this art in the world. (Milliyet Art Magazine 1975, January). Why a devoted artist in his country faces with exclusion? It has only one reason: In Turkey, visual arts are monopolized by particular people. In addition, banks and companies are acting according to their words as those people launched themselves as “important”. Therefore, copying appeared as almost a new art form in Turkish visual art that even artists copying a foreign artist’s work are launched with big costs.

 

When Yucel Donmez is asked about this issue, he says; “Turkey has not become Europeanized yet. Our art area is still carried out with Middle East culture and in my country, we witness games that are launched even to Sothebys, Christe and some other American galleries. Evidently, these institutional companies that are being instruments of games for money lose their credibility. For example, a Sothebys made an agreement with some galleries in Turkey and some names presented in the auction as Turkish contemporary art. Additionally, the ones bought those works were Turkish. The reason behind this is to convince the art collectors that some Turkish names are known in England and thus to gain unjust profit. The very same examples were seen in Dubai and these games gave a sacrifice. At the peak of his success, Ali Can Ertuğ the Vice President of Sotheby's committed suicide by throwing himself from the fifth floor of his house in New York. This event was put on the records as an ordinary suicide. Yet, if it had been explored in detail, the games that were played could have come to light.

 

Biennales are being held in Istanbul, however, there is not an artist from Turkey that is launched to world art platform yet.  Possibly, today Yücel Dönmez is the most important figure to be launched to the world from Turkey, yet there is not an opportunity for this while Istanbul centered Turkish art market is in an alignment.

Last February, with his group, consisted of some artists named as “Unusual Care Art Group”, Yucel Donmez made a conceptual work with artist Gülsen Zengin and named it as “A snow painting and Melting Smiles”. Continuing to art events with his group in Anatolia against to monopolizing of art in Istanbul, he breaks a new ground in Turkey. 

 

In Turkey, only three art magazines are published in visual arts and one of them is Rh+ Art Magazine. While Rh+ Art Magazine was facing with some financial problems, Yucel Donmez as some artists showed interest in this matter and he donated his 60 paintings to the magazine. On account of these donations, the magazine continues to its publication life.

 

In Turkey, art publication also presents an example of monopolization and because art critics write to catalogs with payment, there is hardly any real art critic there. In Turkey, most art collectors take masterpieces according to secondhand rumors; therefore, endeavoring artists are being ignored.

 

In recent years, some art museum establishments have been made in Turkey. Although original artists should take place in an art museum, when we take a close look at Istanbul Modern Museum, we come across with many works which had been done previously in West. Consequently, this is enough reason to state that this museum is not a serious institution. While other museums are taken into consideration, only Elgiz Contemporary Museum seems to attempt to be an art museum in small scale and other museums belong to some institutions. On the other hand, Sabancı Museum draws attention with its ignorance of Turkish art while it hosts to foreign exhibitions.

Vasif Kortun listed in top 100 art men of the world, is known to be representing turkey in art events, yet he is ignorant about visual art practices in Turkey and he seems to be satisfied with his own acquaintances.

 

Whereas today, there are many art talents dealing with visual arts and there are many who have been active in the art world for years in Turkey, but for some reason, the ones imitating the west stands out.

In conclusion; today while authentic artists have been disregarded in Turkey, the ones active in populism are being promoted through money and some kind of games. So, this is the reason why artists such as Yucel Donmez face with exclusion in their own countries.