ART IS LIFE: POLITICS FORCES LIFE, ART GIVES RESPONSE
As a Kurdish artist in forced exile who is living in diaspora, my artistic endeavour has emerged to become
a reflection and mirror of my personal background, the turmoil of my motherland and their shaping of my identity.
While I was detained in prison and now in exile, art has become for me an imaginary homeland which comforts me, and where I can rightfully live. Via art I would like to create an aesthetic combination of past and present. Moreover, I aspire to build a bridge between politics and art, to bestow on future generations the documentation
and testimony of occupation, war, colonialism, and exploitation: my art is a response of resistance to my enemy.
My art is my rebellious act against what I strongly despise. It is a symbolic expression of Kurd's national revolt and struggle for liberty and equality.Through my studio practice I have tried to transfer the impact of forced exile and diasporic life into art. It has been my focus to bring into my art the social, mental, and ideological changes of my people. In fact, rather than still and static scenes, on my canvas I have aimed to create a great mass movement, also to represent the actions of the people who have so vehemently fought to create a new life, which we called revolution.
In my opinion, our beliefs and our imaginations are a reflection of reality. In my case, reality is the ongoing battle between Kurd and our enemies-colonisers. Because of this continuing reality, I want to create scenes of social changes through metaphors and symbolism to depict our history's incessant social earthquakes.
During the creative process, I always strive to combine contemporary established artistic forms with a new unique visual language capable of synthesizing the subject matter and the content of my art.
I am interested in creating a well-rounded , polyvalent practice. I claim to have created a new way of painting which I call "multidimensionalism". Alongside painting, I am interested in creating drawings, movies, installations, and sculptures by using ordinary and different materials to raise more awareness about the historical and the current political situation of Kurdistan and Mesopotamia.
I like to play with the objects in my paintings to symbolise the complicated nature of reality. I generally deform their shapes, turning them into semi-surrealist figures to make them more complex, more abstract and interesting. In this way I want to bring to the surface the voices and forms of my consciousness but also of my subconscious.
Using metaphoric symbolism in a surrealist manner gives me an opportunity to leap beyond the present reality to a timeless infinite dimension without borders, censorship, political fanaticism where I feel free to release all my secrets and aberrations, my exceptionalism, my fears and my follies.
I work on canvas with oil and acrylic and on paper with pencil. I am intrigued by the numerous qualities of oil paint and the ways I can experiment with it on canvas. Oil also offers great possibilities for getting complimentary colours and different hues of paint to create contrasting impressions and effects. As well as offering flexibility and speed, acrylic allows me to mix different tones on the canvas and is great for expressive brush strokes that convey my feelings.
Working with pencil is the foundation of my work and keeps my skills and abilities alive. Drawing is something I do all the time and allows me to make studies anytime, anywhere, while meanwhile deepening my comprehension of the subjects in the scene.
My art is my own language to communicate with others. It is a torch for me to brighten the hidden in life and the secret parts of reality.
Cemo
18.06.2020
CONTACT DETAILS
Cemalettin Cinkilic (Cemo)
Email : cemowenekar@gmail.com
Instagram : cemo_wenekar
website : cemalettincinkilic.wixsite.com/cemo
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
I am a British artist of Kurdish origin. I was born in Qulp - Kurdistan in 1962. I came to the UK at December,2006 as a political refugee. I got a refugee status at 2008, and at 2013 I became a British citizen. At the present I live at the UK.
Education:
Primary, secondary, and hihg school at Qulp, Kurdistan, between 1967 - 1979;
Private School of Fashion Design, Kadikoy/ Istanbul, Turkey, at 1999;
ESOL English Language, Southall &West London College, at 2008;
Hackney Community College, ESOL and Adult Numeracy, at 2008-2011;
City&Islington College, BTEC Foundation Diploma in Art and Design with distinction at 2011-2013;
London Metropolitan University/The CASS Faculty, Fine Art Part-Time course 1st year(degree), at 2013-2015;
I awarded first class honours in Fine Art Degree BA (Hons) from Middlesex University at 2016-2020.
I had several solo and group exhibitions:
The Holy Art Gallery, 10th - 19th May 2024, London, The UK - Athens, Greece (group show)
Luna Grande Gallery, 27th April - 3rd May 2024, Istanbul, Turkey (group show)
Boomer Gallery, 12th - 17th April 2024, London, The UK (group show)
The Royal Air Force Museum (RAF), September 2020-September 2021, London, The UK (group show)
SYNERGY interactive online exhibition, 2020, London,The UK (group show)
Nunnery Gallery, 2020, London, The UK (group show)
Nunnery Gallery, 2019, London, The UK (group show)
Islington Arts Factory,2018, Islington /London, The UK (group show)
Islington Arts Factory, 2017, Islington/London, The UK (group show)
DAYMER Festive, 2013, Tottenham/London, The UK, (solo show)
Deutsche Bank, 2013 (with Helen Bamber Foundation), London, The UK (group show)
DAYMER Festive, 2013, Tottenham/London, The UK (solo show)
Stoke Newington Art Gallery, 2010, Stoke Newington / London, The UK (two artists’ show)
DAYMER Festive, 2008, Tottenham/London, The UK (solo show)
Kurdish Community Centre, 2008, Harringay/London, The UK (solo show)
City Hall GLA, 2008, London, The UK (two artists’ show)
Kurdish Advice Centre,2007, Hornsey/London, The UK (solo show)
Bookhouse, 2006, Tottenham/London, The UK (solo show)
Dikili Art and Culture Festive, 2005, Dikili / Izmir, Turkey, (solo show)
Alternative Art Centre, 2003, Alibeykoy/ Istanbul, Turkey (solo show)
MKM (Mesopotamia Culture Centre), 2003, Beyoglu / Istanbul, Turkey (solo photograph exhibition)
MED-COM (Medya, Science, Culture, Organisation Centre), 1996, Beyoglu/Istanbul, Turkey (solo show)
YCKM (Hundred Flowers Open Culture Centre),1996, Okmeydani/Istanbul, Turkey (solo show)
LABELLA, Alternative Habitat Activities,1996,(with Human Rights Istanbul Branch), Osmanbey/ Istanbul, Turkey (solo show)
STRAN Culture Centre, 1996, Aksaray/Istanbul, Turkey (solo show)
GENC EKIN (Youth Culture Centre), 1996, Beyoglu/Istanbul, Turkey (solo show)
GENC EKIN (Youth Culture Art Centre), 1993, Beyoglu/Istanbul, Turkey (solo show)
Oren 4th Art and Culture Festive,1993, (with Human Rights Balikesir Branch),Burhaniye / Balikesir, Turkey (solo show)
Democracy Party (DEP) Kucukcekmece Branch,1993, Sefakoy / Istanbul, Turkey (solo show)
KASEM (Kadikoy Private Art and Education Centre) 1993, Kadikoy/ Istanbul, Turkey (solo show)
MKM (Mesopotamia Culture Centre), 1993, Adana, Turkey (group show/MKM Artists’ Unity)
Oren 3rd Art and Culture Festive, 1992, (with Human Rights Balikesir Branch) Burhaniye/ Balikesir, Turkey, (solo show)
Dikili Art and Culture Festive, 1992, (with Human Rights Istanbul Branch), Dikili/ Izmir, Turkey, (solo show)
Istanbul Greater Council&German Culture Centre, Mis Road Children’s Festive,1992, Beyoglu/ Istanbul, Turkey (solo show)
Mesopotamia Culture Centre,1992, Beyoglu/Istanbul, Turkey, (solo show)
Bornova Council, Human Rights Week, 1991, (with Human Rights Izmir Branch) Izmir, Turkey (two artists’ show)
Oren 2nd Art and Culture Festive, 1990, (with Human Rights Balikesir Branch) Burhaniye/ Balikesir, Turkey (solo show)
Human Rights Central Branch, Human Rights Week,1989, Ankara, Turkey (group show)
Oren 1st Art and Culture Festive, 1989, (with Human Rights Balikesir Branch) Burhaniye/ Balikesir, Turkey (solo show)