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A woman and a tree,
both are creative, and each produces two kinds of living beings,
both of whom blow life into nature...they are reshaped, recoloured
by the brush strokes of a woman who fell in love with the themes
of women and trees, and tells their stories. Ismet Tatar is an
artist who gave up her profession as an art teacher to dedicate
more time to her art. There isn't any specific style or colour
that she prefers, but, as she is unlucky enough to be allergic to
oil paint, she is happy to play instead with water-based paints,
and the seeming incompatibility between her theme and the perfect
medium of oils doesn't bother her much. Her paintings are inspired
by events that she has experienced. She describes her inspiration
with these words: "I question myself by thinking that someday it
will be my turn to pass away, and then my thoughts begin to take
shape upon my canvas and they come to life." 'A Thought About
Life' and 'A Journey in the Life of a Woman' reflect the phases of
womanhood, starting from puberty up to death, and are examples of
works of art inspired by these events. Then comes the series of
'Before and After the Fire' tracing the terrifying fire which
burned down the entire
Besparmak
Mountain range in 1995. When I watched those olive threes
burning, I felt the fire in my flesh; I felt their cries deep in
my heart, "she says. After a series of woman and trees, Ismet
Tatar continued with a series named 'My Name is Olive Tree', where
tree trunks and women's bodies blend. Olives trees and women...
The strong,
patient, productive tree of the Mediterranean and strong,
self-sacrificing, sensitive and productive women, sometimes
sagacious and sometimes seductive, met in this serial. The artist,
who has exhibited in New York, Strasburg, Istanbul and has held
numerous exhibitions in her native Northern Cyprus, doesn't know
how many paintings she has completed. Her art holds a very
important place in her life. When she enters her studio and closes
the door, she steps into a life that she created for herself.
Although painting is a kind of meditation, she always mediates
before she starts working. She has had to refrain from her beloved
painting due to an operation to correct a spinal problem. When she
returned to her work, she found that her views had changed. "I
said to myself, 'Now I am going to paint without using my brain's
and started painting what I saw within one centimetre square of
bark, and I am very satisfied with what I produced."
Oya
Gürel
New Colonial magazine
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Paintings 2002-03
(I. Tatar)
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"Reds" |
Artist's Biography
1947
- Born in Inönü, Cyprus
1969 -
Graduate Fine Arts Department of K.T.Ö.O. in Ankara
1984 -
Private Exhibition, Atatürk Cultural Centre (A.C.C.) Lefkoşa
1985,
87, 88 - I., II., III., Painting Exhibition of Women Artists (A.C.C.)
Lefkoşa
1986,
89, 90, 91 - I., IV., V., VI. State Painting and Sculpture
Exhibition (A.C.C.) Lefkoşa
1986,
98 - Exhibition of Turkish Cypriot Artists - Istanbul, Ankara
1987 -
Plastic Art Exhibition-Girne
1989 -
II. Asian - European Biennial Art Exhibition - Ankara
1989,
91 - Exhibition of Turkish Cypriot Painters-Ankara, Ordu
1990 -
Exhibition of Turkish Cypriot Painters - Brussels
1991 -
H.P Gallery Opening Exhibition (A Glimps of Turkish Cypriot Art)
1992 -
IV. Asian - European Biennial Art Exhibition - Ankara
1994 -
Painting Exhibition of Women Artists-Güzelyurt
1995 -
From Today to Tomorrow Exhibition (School of Fine Arts - A.C.C.)
1995 -
Private Exhibition - 'A Journey in the Life of a Woman' - A.C.C.
1996,
98 - K.T.O.E.Ö.S. I., II., III. Painting and Sculpture Exhibition.
Lefkoşa
1997 -
Private Exhibition ' Before the Fire - After the Fire' Eaved House -Lefkosa
1998 -
Mixed Exhibition of Turkish Cypriot Painters-Bellapais Art Gallery
-Girne
1998 - Mixed Painting and Sculpture Exhibition-Birinci Cultural
Centre, Lefkoşa 30 - 31 Temmuz
1998 -
Neareast Üniversity Istanbul Exhibition
1998 -
Solo Exhibition of Watercolour Paintings - New York, Nov. 15 - 20
1999 -
Solo Exhibition 'My Name is Olive Tree' - Stone House Gallery- Girne
2000 -
Tree and Woman - Collection 2000
2001 -
Orange Trees - Collection 2001
2002 -
Portraits - Collection 2002
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