Fikret Mualla Retrospective
İstanbul Modern is celebrating the 102nd birthday of Fikret Muallâ, one of the leading names in Turkish painting, with a comprehensive exhibition of his work.
For the first time ever, this retrospective is bringing together 243 works of art from 35 collections, which it is presenting both thematically and historically so as to reflect every dimension of Fikret Muallâ’s unique world.
The exhibition aims to turn overturn the common perception of the artist deriving from his unusual, turbulent and bohemian lifestyle, and is the most comprehensive retrospective ever of Fikret Muallâ in terms of number of works involved.
The exhibition creates associations between Fikret Muallâ’s understanding of painting and diverse themes and includes the artist’s gouaches, watercolors and sketches as well as a photobiography of pictures taken by Ara Güler.
Sponsored by Eti, the Fikret Muallâ Retrospective has opened on 14 April in the Temporary Exhibition Gallery. This is the first retrospective of İstanbul Modern and with it, the museum is launching its first touring educational exhibition and audio tour as well as a documentary and alphabet book produced specially for the exhibition. Also for the first time, the museum has organized the printing of selected Fikret Muallâ paintings on "Tutku" cookie tins and tissue paper boxes produced respectively by Eti and Selpak.
During the exhibition, İstanbul Modern hold a variety of activities and events in its educational unit, library, auditorium, and mobile exhibition vehicle. Special exhibition products are available for purchase in the museum shops.
Curated by Haşim Nur Gürel, Levent Çalıkoğlu and Ali Akay, the Fikret Muallâ Retrospective introduces viewers to the creativity and rich imagination of this artist, whose life and work have made him both one of the most important and one of the most debated names in Turkish painting. Known as much for his tragic life as for his superior artistic persona, Fikret Muallâ has become a legendary figure since his death.
While endeavoring to draw attention to the lesser known sides of this celebrated artist, the exhibition highlights the differences between works of art that appear to be the same, suggests how works dealing with the same theme but created at different times and in diverse emotional states nourished each other, and examines the place in modern life of an artist who wanted to make a living from painting.
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
In parallel with the Fikret Muallâ exhibition, the İstanbul Modern Educational and Social Projects Unit has designed a wide variety of activities for children, young people and adults of diverse educational backgrounds and interests. Visitors who wish to get to know the artist and his work better can attend these activities, which will be held in external venues as well as in the museum itself.
1- MOBILE EDUCATION VEHICLE – "YOUNG VOLUNTEERS FOR ART" with the contribution of LAFARGE TURKEY
With the Fikret Muallâ Retrospective, İstanbul Modern will launch its "Young Volunteers for Art" project, which is organizing a touring educational exhibition for young people in the 15 to 18 year-old age group in the İstanbul Modern Mobile Education Vehicle. The vehicle will carry reproductions of selected Fikret Muallâ paintings on exhibit at the museum to high schools in Istanbul, to familiarize students with the artist and his work. Sponsored by Lafarge Turkey, the touring educational exhibition will show students a specially prepared Fikret Muallâ documentary before displaying the reproductions, each of which have been selected for their visual stories. Under the guidance of volunteer instructors, students will study, analyze and interpret Fikret Muallâ’s paintings.
2- AUDIO TOUR with the contrubution of MNG BANK
The Fikret Muallâ Retrospective marks the start of İstanbul Modern’s first audio tour. Sponsored by MNG Bank, the tour provides a caption-like review of the exhibition in 45 minutes. The tour is designed for adults and is available in both Turkish and English.
3- FIKRET MUALLA – "HIDE-AND-SEEK ABC" BOOK With the contribution of Doğuş Çocuk and Garanti Mini Bank
With the sponsorship of Doğuş Çocuk and Garanti Minibank, the museum’s Educational and Social Projects Unit has also prepared a book for children just learning to read entitled "Fikret Muallâ – Hide-and-Seek ABC". Designed to encourage children to learn about works of art through observation and research, the book will be used in the museum’s educational activities and sold in its shops.
FİKRET MUALLA DOCUMENTARY
İstanbul Modern has produced a documentary on Fikret Muallâ based on a detailed study of the artist’s life from his childhood in İstanbul through to his days in Paris. Nazmi Kal prepared the documentary, which will be shown in the İstanbul Modern Auditorium, video room and educational hall during the exhibition. The touring educational exhibition of the "Young Volunteers for Art" project will also show this documentary to high school students.
LECTURES
Throughout the exhibition, İstanbul Modern will host lectures in its auditorium by the exhibition curators and guest speakers who witnessed Fikret Muallâ’s life and development as an artist. Curator Levent Çalıkoğlu will moderate the first lecture, scheduled for Saturday, 14 May 2005 , at 2 p.m. , at which journalist Hifzı Topuz and writer Rasih Nuri İleri will relate their memories of Fikret Muallâ. "From oral stories to pictorial ones…
Fikret Muallâ: the Miniaturist" is the topic of the second lecture by Zeynep Yasa Yaman scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, 15 May 2005 , at Hacettepe University . Yaman will discuss the emigrant/ refugee life of Fikret Muallâ, who played easily and ruthlessly with images –much as he played with words– in the Turkey-France axis. On Saturday, 28 May 2005 , again at 2 p.m. , curators Ali Akay, Levent Çalıkoğlu and Haşim Nur Gürel will speak about the process of preparing an exhibition, determining themes, and creating chronological and thematic associations between works.
COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF PUBLICATIONS
For the occasion, the İstanbul Modern Library of Art has compiled the largest ever collection of publications on Fikret Muallâ, including books, writings and letters about his life and work.
MUALLA PAINTINGS REPRODUCED ON ETI "TUTKU" COOKIE TINS AND SELPAK TISSUE PAPER BOXES
Eti, the sponsor of the exhibition, will produce a limited number of special cookie tins for its Eti Tutku (Eti Passion) brand of cookies that will be decorated with four Fikret Muallâ paintings. Eti will sell these special edition tins in İstanbul Modern and shops around Turkey.
Similarly, Fikret Muallâ’s "Chianti Bottle and Fish" painting will be printed on 50 thousand boxes of Selpak facial tissue that will be sold at sales points throughout Turkey for the duration of the exhibition.
FIKRET MUALLA SOUVENIRS AND GIFTS
The museum shops will sell a variety of products created for the occasion from the artwork of Fikret Muallâ. Apart from postcards, posters and a catalogue, there will be aprons, pillows, pillowcases, tablemats, mugs, watches, candles of different sizes, magnetic bookmarks, crayons, postcard-sized puzzles, and special t-shirts. The Fikret
Muallâ Retrospective will be on view at İstanbul Modern through 31 July 2005.
Curators: Haşim Nur Gürel - Ali Akay - Levent Çalıkoğlu
EXHIBITION PHOTOGRAPHS