Artist Statement
The mother thought or central concept of my work is concealment. My artworks point towards what is hidden and question why this happens.
Nobody can know all that is inside another person. I see that human beings hide or partially mask their thoughts, feelings and motivations, even in many cases from themself. I observe that human relationships are not open and there are many hidden agendas in personal, social and political life. I came to understand this psychology by watching the decisions, behaviours and actions of individual people around me and observing the political decisions and actions of nation states. When I look to nature, all my life I could see expressive faces hidden in the trees, rocks, stones, pebbles, waterfalls, rivers and clouds. My idea is that faces hidden in nature are a metaphor for the way humans hide their thoughts, feelings and motivations.
Biography
Gültekin Bilge (pronounced Beelgay) is a Turkish Cypriot Artist, born in Cyprus, 1945. He received his M.A. from the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts where he studied under Devrim Erbil and Ali Çelebi before graduating from the atelier of Dinçer Erimez.
Bilge’s journey through life has not been easy. He was unable to paint for many years after losing the use of his right hand when he was shot in the 1974 Cyprus War. The injury led to a dark period in his life, full of anger, pain, frustration, powerlessness, isolation and loss of identity. These emotions find full expression in his abstract artworks. Since moving to the UK in 2011 his work has been exhibited internationally throughout Europe and in the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan. During this period he has also received many awards. His works are held in private collections in Turkey, Europe and Japan.
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