“Mahal”*

The Journey of Ceramics – 2023 Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale (Juried Exhibition)

After 12 days of three rounds of online fair and impartial evaluation conducted by 17 domestic and international expert jury, “The Journey of Ceramics – 2023 Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale” Review Committee has selected 256 works to be included in the exhibition from a total of 1802 entries from around the world. These selected works span across five categories: Vessels, Sculpture, Painting, Installation, and Video: http://www.cjicb.com/News2023-08-29-en.html 

Adile Feyza CAKIR OZGUNDOGDU, “Mahal” 28x24x28cm, Porcelain, 2019

Adile Feyza CAKIR OZGUNDOGDU, “Mahal” 28x24x28cm, Porcelain, 2019

Statement to the work:

How interesting it is that we wander the streets, stay in houses, and join caravans in the deserts while following a word. The word mahal, of Indian and Arabic origin, has a special meaning that is widely used in many languages. When I leave my neighborhood with the Turkish word mahalle and go east, I encounter the meaning of hall, resting place and abode in Iranian and Arabic languages. In India, the Taj Mahal gives a different meaning to this word with all its beauty and it means palace. In these lands, in the past, mahal was a name describing a woman or queen in the Mughal language, but today it is used to express love and something precious in the Pacific islands and becomes a name given to girls. When I head towards Europe from India, the old footprints lead me to houses and temples with heal, halle, hall. Kell covers spaces with its Indo-European origins and presents a layered landscape that transcends time and space, extending all the way to Ireland. One word, centuries, continents and cultures. With all our differences, how similar we are! In fact, we are all neighbors in the same mahalle. My work expresses these relationships, bonds and integrity. We are connected to each other by the same roots, by the same feelings, by the same needs: To love and be safe.

Bir kelimenin peşine düşüp iz sürerken dünyayı dolaşmamız, sokaklarda gezmemiz, evlerde konaklayıp, çöllerde kervanlara katılmamız ne kadar da ilginç. Hint ve Arapça kökenli “mahal” kelimesi pek çok dilde yaygın olarak kullanılan özel bir anlam taşır. Türkçedeki “mahalle” ile kendi mahallemden ayrılıp, doğuya doğru gittiğimde İran ve Arap dillerinde kökeni “Hall” olan ve dinlenilen, duraklanılan yer (‘stopping place, abode’) karşılıklarıyla karşılaşıyorum. Hindistan’da ise Taj Mahal bütün güzelliğiyle bu kelimeye ayrı bir anlam katıyor ve saray anlamına geliyor. Bu topraklarda, geçmişte Babür dilinde “mahal”, kadını ya da kraliçeyi niteleyen bir isim olurken,  bugün Pasifik adalarında sevgiyi ve değerli olan bir şeyi ifade etmek için kullanılıyor ve kız çocuklarına verilen bir isim halini alıyor. Hindistan’dan Avrupa’ya doğru yöneldiğimde ise, eski ayak izleri beni “heal”, “halle”, “hall” ile evlerde ve tapınaklara ulaştırıyor. “Kel”  Hint-Avrupa kökenleriyle mekanları sarıp sarmalıyor ve İrlanda’ya kadar sürecek, zamanları ve mekanları aşan katmanlı bir manzara sergiliyor. Bir kelime, yüzyıllar, kıtalar ve kültürler. Tüm farklılıklarımızla birlikte, ne kadar da benzeriz. Aslında hepimiz aynı “mahalle”de komşuyuz. Aynı köklerle, aynı duygularla, aynı ihtiyaçlarla birbirimize bağlıyız: Sevgi ve güven…

(12.08.2023, Samsun)

*Dedicated to all the lives slaughtered by lovelessness and still not safe. Sevgisizliğin katletmiş olduğu ve hâlen güvende olmayan tüm canlara ithaf edilmiştir (07.11.2023, Ankara)

16th International Small Form Porcelain Exhibition “Consolation” Riga Porcelain Museum 16.12.2022.-05.02.2023.

“Together We Can Do It Again“

Theme: “Achieving balance in life starts with the first step. Falling is the next step, and getting up is the next. A word of encouragement or a helping hand provides a sense of  “I can do it”. Nature’s treatment is holistic. Only as long as we are together and constructive can we gather the destroyed again and again. We can stand up. The feeling of knowing that we can rebuild the ruins is the greatest consolation. Only together we can do it again”

Slipcasted porcelain. 70x155x55 mm. 2022. Photo: Gvido Kajons

Dialogue +11 IAC Turkish Members Exhibition

https://www.eskisehirekspres.net/turkiyenin-gurur-sergisi-eskisehirde

Türkiye'nin gurur sergisi Eskişehir'de

Eskişehir continues to host art and artists. Dialogue +11, International Ceramic Academy Turkish Members Exhibition, organized by Prof. Dr. Zehra Çobanlı and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elif Aydoğdu Ağatekin, met with art lovers with the opening ceremony. Tepebaşı Mayor Ahmet Ataç, Metropolitan Municipality Secretary General Ayşe Ünlüce, Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary Generals, municipal bureaucrats and many art lovers attended the opening ceremony.

Prof. Dr. Zehra Çobanlı, who made the opening speech, stated that she is one of the 11 artists in the academy and said, “We made this exhibition together with dear Elif. We are very happy to bring the exhibition together with Eskişehir people. The aim of this exhibition is to create an international art bridge.”

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Metropolitan Municipality Secretary General Ayşe Ünlüce said, “As the Metropolitan Municipality, we are very happy to host such a special exhibition. We are proud of our 11 ceramic artists who were accepted to the International Ceramic Academy. It is really not easy to become a member of this academy and it is a great achievement. I congratulate our artists representing our country and thank those who brought this beautiful exhibition to us.”

After the speeches, the protocol and the guests visited the exhibition together. The inaugurated Dialogue +11, International Ceramic Academy Turkish Members Exhibition can be visited until July 17, 2022 at Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality City Museums Complex in Odunpazarı.

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Dialogue +11, International Ceramics Academy Turkish Members Exhibition

Founded by Henry J. Reynaud in 1952, the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC-International Academy of Ceramics) represents 74 countries from all continents and consists of 807 individual members and 77 collective members. The academy currently operates in Musée Ariana in Geneva, Switzerland. 11 artists from Turkey have been elected as members of the International Academy of Ceramics and are still active members.

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Dialogue+11, International Ceramics Academy Turkish Members Exhibition features a selection of recent works by Bingül Başarır and Beril Anılanmert, two of the first members, as well as Zehra Çobanlı, Sıdıka Sibel Sevim, Mutlu Başkaya, Ömür Tokgöz, Hasan Şahbaz, Burcu Karabey, Elif Aydoğdu Ağatekin, Hasan Numan Suçağlar and Adile Feyza Özgündoğdu.

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su / water

Kişisel Sergi, Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi, Güzel Sanatlar Fakültesi Sanat Galerisi / Solo Exhibition, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Fine Arts Faculty Art Gallery. 15-29.04.2022

…Hemân ağlayı geldim âleme ağlayı gitdim ben…San ol nîlüferim kim suda bitdim suda yitdim ben

…I’m like a lotus, sprouted in water and withered in wather… I came to the world crying and left crying (Rehâyi)

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The International Tea Bowl Competition 和敬清寂: Respect:

The Way of Tea was based on four principles (和 敬 清 寂): harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. (…) Respect meaning sincerity of the heart, which allows us to be open to the surroundings, people, nature, while respecting their dignity.(…) In everyday life this rule influences our contacts with other people. We stop seeing the externals and go deeper into human hearts and the essence of all things which we encounter in our environment. In those situations we are building a connection with the whole world that we live in.
Shōshitsu Sen XV, Tea Life, Tea Mind

Organized by the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in
Wrocław. https://festiwalwysokichtemperatur.pl/