About Ahmet Güneştekin: Painter, Concept Artist, Sculptor (1966-)
Ahmed Guneshtekin (born 22 December 1966) is a Turkish visual artist of Kurdish origin whose work ranges from painting, conceptual art and architectural sculpture. For self-taught artist Ahmet Güneştekin, art is a passion that has driven him since childhood. He left Batman Town for Istanbul in 1991, but had to wait years to find his style in the early 2000s. He then abandoned the metaphor and plunged himself into “narrative abstraction.” This production is filled with memories of vernacular art, of themes such as carpets, lamps, Ottoman bronzes, where geometry is the dominant force.
Güneştekin uses a unique technique with a unique approach and precision. After building an intricate web of black acrylic paint, he applied a coat of paint, ranging from light to dark, in each small space. He then used a type of pen with an eraser tip to inscribe the paint, much like a calligrapher would write on a book. He writes on his paintings by removing material, a principle more similar to sculpture than painting.
In 2013, when Ahmet Güneştekin signed a deal with London-based Marlborough Gallery, one of the top five prestigious galleries in the world, he made room for himself in the international art market. Marlborough’s first step is to hold an exhibition in conjunction with the 55th Venice Biennale. When Massimiliano Gioni listed Güneştekin’s “Momentum of Memory” exhibition among the “Top 10 exhibitions to see”, the media could not remain indifferent. Güneştekin’s work appears in high-circulation Italian daily newspapers such as Il Manifesto, La Repubblica, La Stampa. Naturally, his work attracted the attention of the art world.
In November 2013, the Marlborough Gallery opened its doors to Güneştekin in New York. The Marburg Gallery has prepared an intensive programme for 2014 after a gorgeous presentation of Güneştekin with the solo exhibition “Ahmet Güneştekin: Recent Paintings” from November 26th to January 4th, 2014. The show that started with Arco Madrid in January is followed by the New York Armory Show, Art Breda and Art Basel Hong Kong. This was followed by a solo exhibition of Ahmet Güneştekin at the Monaco Gallery in Marlborough from September 18th to November 14th. His work is exhibited year-round in the permanent galleries of the Marlborough Galleries in Barcelona, Madrid, Monaco and New York.
Güneştekin’s work can be simply described as the use of liberal techniques to interpret oral narratives, legends and myths from Anatolian, Mesopotamian and Greek civilizations. He created optical and vibrant works, and the sun disc was one of the themes in which he appeared. The figurative expression appears in all his works, even in an abstract stylized way. In all his contemporaries, figures, symbols and scenes are drawn from antiquity, and these figures are iconic, woven into symbolic stories about questions about the nature of human beings.
style and technique
Ahmet Güneştekin uses a variety of methods to realize his work. Gradient optics, stereoscopic canvases, flat canvases, sunbursts and installations demonstrate his main approach, which is to move away from traditional practices on canvas. His artwork is composed of captivating colors, intricate layers and ancient stories. Kurdish artists believe that mythology is where it all begins. Yedizim is a binary religion that first appeared in ancient Mesopotamia, based on the belief that people distinguish between good and evil. The narrative of the culture and its idiosyncratic imitations spontaneously provide precise choices.
However, Güneştekin’s goal was not only to convey a message, he also sought to reveal his own myths and truths by expressing the diversity of his painting and narrative culture. The mythological figures he painted are also ancient figures in Greek mythology. To Güneştekin, there actually seems to be no difference between the Shahmeran, one of the ancient mythological creatures of Mesopotamia, and the Medusa in Greek mythology. The effect of embroidery can be best observed in the artist’s recent paintings. Drawings and circles are combined in a geometric structure, and the use of color fundamentally affects the eye. They also provide a narrative, as symbols and emotions bring out all these elements in the painting. A delicate and carefully cultivated palette and paintings, harmoniously composed, are the basis of Güneştekin’s work.
Anatolia, where the artist was born, and mythological creatures such as the phoenix or the peacock angel constituted the most important sources of inspiration for Güneştekin. The blazing sun marks his unique signature. His oil painting method is a model, which manifests itself in the work of the embroiderer’s patient weaving and embellishment, and based on which the painting model is made. The different uses of light, the thickness of lines and colors, and their density pave the way for rough geometric forms. The products of a painstaking and intensive work process, his oil paintings give the impression that they are magnified by sculpture. His massive works and his paintings resemble historical works of art composed of archaeological fragments and figures. However, the most captivating form he takes is the flash of his true orb of light.
For Ahmet Güneştekin’s galleries, visit the following websites: www.ahmetgunestekin.com
exhibition
Solo Exhibition
2014
- Contemporary Istanbul ’14, Marlborough Gallery, Istanbul. turkey.
- Heir to the Sun Disc, Marlborough Monaco, Monaco.
- KunstRAI Amsterdam, Mark Peet Visser Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Faces of the Sun, Mark Peet Visser Gallery, Den Bosch, The Netherlands.
- Ahmet Güneştekin: Recent Paintings, Marlborough Gallery, New York, USA.
2013
- Momentum of Memory, Armory Pier, Venice, Italy.
- Meet Ankara, CerModern, Ankara, Turkey.
- Contemporary Istanbul ’13, (represented by Marlborough Gallery), Istanbul, Turkey.
2012
- Meet Istanbul, Antrepo 3, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Carpets and Rug Design, Armaggan Art and Design Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey.
- A Lot, Gülle Art Museum, Ankara, Turkey.
- Intersections / Transformation, Santral Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Contemporary Istanbul ’12, Mim Art Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey.
2010 – 2011
- Pure Justice, Contemporary Istanbul ’11, (represented by Balaz Gallery), Istanbul, Turkey.
- Doors Open to the Sun, Contemporary Istanbul ’10, (represented by Balaz Gallery), Istanbul, Turkey.
- Immortal, Casa Dell’Arte, Istanbul, Turkey.
2009
- Elixir, Çırağan Palace Kempinski Art Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey.
- The Gate of Immortality, Contemporary Istanbul ’09, (represented by Casa Dell’Arte), Istanbul, Turkey.
- Contemporary I, Painting and Sculpture Exhibition, Bali Art Museum, Istanbul, Turkey.
2007- 2008
- The Fall of Troia, Contemporary Istanbul ’08, (represented by Çağla Cabaoğlu Gallery), Istanbul, Turkey.
- Antique Modern, Contemporary Istanbul ’07, (represented by Çağla Cabaoğlu Gallery), Istanbul, Turkey.
- Civilizations born in the footsteps of the sun, AKM, Istanbul, Turkey.
2005- 2006
- Sîmûrg, Contemporary Istanbul ’06, (represented by Baraz Gallery), Istanbul, Turkey.
- Aura, Toprak Art Museum, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Sun Dance, Art Garage, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Love in Mesopotamia, Atakule Vakıfbank Art Gallery, Ankara, Turkey.
2003 – 2004
- Gallery Artist, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Colors After Dark, AKM, Istanbul, Turkey.
group exhibition
2014
- Budapest Art Market, Güler Sanat, Budapest, Hungary.
- Summer Exhibition, Marlborough Gallery, Madrid, Spain.
- Art Basel Hong Kong, Marlborough Gallery, Hong Kong.
- Art Breda, Mark Peet Visser Gallery, Breda, The Netherlands.
- Armory Show, Marlborough Gallery, New York, USA.
- Arco Madrid, Marlborough Gallery, Madrid, Spain.
2013
- Art Basel Miami Beach, Marlborough Gallery, Miami, USA.
- Budapest Art Market, Guiller Art, Budapest, Hungary.
- Sconfinamenti, Spoleto56 Festival, (curated by Achille Bonito Oliva), Spoleto, Italy.
2011 – 2012
- Sergüzeşt, Gülle Art Museum, Ankara, Turkey.
- Summer Exhibition, Antrepo 5, (Gallery Beyaz), Istanbul, Turkey.
Directory Articles
Stephanie Piorda, heir to the sun diskMarlborough Gallery, Monaco, September 2014.
Bertjan Tell Black, face of the sunMark Peet Visser Gallery, Den Bosch, The Netherlands, April 2014.
Donald Cuspitt The Uses of Mysticism: The Abstraction of Ahmet GüneştekinMarlborough Gallery, New York, November 2013.
Berard Madeira memory powerGSM Publications, Istanbul, May 2013.
Johannes Odenthal, Abstraction and Myth, Cultural Memory in Anatolian Contemporary Art: On the Works of Ahmet GüneştekinGSM Publications, Istanbul, September 2012.
Yarchin Sadak, Following the Trail of the Sun: The Myth of Ahmet GüneştekinGSM Publications, Istanbul, November 2010.
Kaya Ozkin, Authentic Antiquity in Ahmet Güneştekin’s PaintingsGSM Publications, Istanbul, November 2009.
Gurseli Inar, antique modernGSM Publications, Istanbul, March 2007.
Follow the trail of the sun with the master
In 1997, Ahmed Guneshtekin traced the ancient myths, oral traditions and legends of Anatolia and Mesopotamia. Since 2003, he has traveled to villages and towns in Anatolia and Mesopotamia to conduct in-depth research. He held art exhibitions in historic districts. and public spaces and many artists from contemporary art, sculpture and photography.exhibition series titled Follow the trail of the sun with the master brought his first major exhibition, color after dark.
Documentary
Güneştekin became the artistic director of the news program Haberci, produced and directed by Coşkun Aral in 2005.He then produced his own documentary series titled follow the trail of the sun TRT 1 and the series became Turkey’s first documentary focused on art.
Children’s art class
On a trip to Anatolia and Mesopotamia, Ahmet Güneştekin provides drawing lessons for children, allowing them to learn how to express themselves in the visual arts. In the classroom, Güneştekin teaches children art concepts and techniques by exposing them to many different kinds of art materials. Güneştekin met more than 5,000 children and introduced them to the world of painting.
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