I enjoyed taking part in “Synchronies” in the beautiful Ateneo de Madrid in October 2014.  This international exhibition was curated and organised by Paola Trevisan and Rosa Mascarell.

I exhibited two artworks from my 2014 Carved Wood Series.

Gültekin Bilge talking with Curator Paola Trevisan in front of HEART HUG 2014

HEART HUG (113cm x 113cm)

Opening Night

I painted this image to represent a nurturing feminine energy giving a hug to all the people of the world. The human world is characterised by two red faces with carved profiles looking in opposite directions. They symbolise the divisions created by political, cultural and ideological differences and classifications related to gender, race and social status. The contrasting blue and yellow image is positioned as a heart. It signals the idea of keeping other people in your heart, instead of judging them with your head. The heart hug is a plea to respect people for their humanity not for social status or material attributes. It’s a message not to let differences make the people enemies. The work is an example of my dissolve technique with many abstract portraits hidden inside the texture to convey a range of human emotions associated with many aspects of life experience.

Gültekin Bilge with Dutch Artist Jolanda Wijnand

SURPRISE (108 cm x 188 cm)

SURPRISE (2014)

This work is a metaphor for the uncertainty of life. The expression of the face at the top right is “Surprise”. The image is a woman who discovers she has breast cancer. The large carved profile on the left has a blind eye to signify that many people go through life in a trance unaware of what’s going on and then become unpleasantly surprised as events unfold. The yellow profile on the right signifies that sometimes life can also deliver pleasant surprises. The work is an example of my Turkish Whirling technique with many abstract portraits hidden deep within the fluid forms to express the range of emotions associated with life’s many surprises.

Artists Together

Gültekin Bilge with Swiss Artist Maria Misselbrook

This was a very nice group of people and very talented artists. In the picture are some of the exhibiting artists, from back right are: Kathryn Hart, Paola Trevisan, Rosa Mascarell Dauder, Maria Misselbrook, Jolanda Wijnand, Rosario d’Espinay Saint-Luc, Carol Rowling, Bente Braad Klausen, Gültekin Bilge and Eduardo Rodriguez.