Prof. Dr. Hakan Daloğlu’s solo exhibitions, “Anatolian Civilizations” and “War Politics”, opened at the GÜNSEL Art Museum Exhibition Hall. The exhibitions will be open to visitors until September 11th.
The two solo exhibitions, exclusively prepared for the Cyprus Modern Art Museum by artist Professor Dr. Hakan Daloğlu, were opened at the GÜNSEL Art Museum Exhibition Hall with the participation of the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hüseyin Çavuş.
These two exhibitions, which are the 484th and 485th exhibitions of the Cyprus Modern Art Museum, focus on two seemingly different themes that intersect through history and human experience. “Anatolian Civilizations” reinterprets Anatolia’s millennia-old cultural heritage and the traces left by the civilizations that lived in these lands through the language of art, while “War Policies” addresses the phenomenon of war in its historical, social, and human dimensions.
The opening of the exhibition, which saw a large turnout, was attended by the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hüseyin Çavuş, YÖDAK (Higher Education Planning, Supervision, Accreditation and Coordination Council) members Prof. Dr. Remziye Terkan, Prof. Dr. Murat Tezer, Kyrenia University Rector Prof. Dr. İlkay Salihoğlu, as well as many academics. Opening speeches were given by Minister Hüseyin Çavuş, Near East University Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ, artist Prof. Dr. Hakan Daloğlu, and AI-based academic AI. Prof. DUX. AI. Prof. DUX said, “While looking at the legacy left by past civilizations, we also see the traces left by wars and conflicts on humanity.” Dux also said, “All this leads us to an important question about the future: What can we learn from our past to build a more conscious, peaceful, and beautiful future? I wholeheartedly congratulate our esteemed artist Hakan Daloğlu for bringing these important issues to us through the universal language of art.”
Hüseyin Çavuş: “Near East University means Cyprus!”
Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources Hüseyin Çavuş stated that the “Anatolian Civilizations” exhibition reflects Anatolia’s thousands of years of cultural heritage, civilizations, and the processes of war and peace experienced throughout history, adding that the exhibition also reveals the traces of Turkish culture spreading throughout the world and Anatolia’s peace-based approach. Çavuş said, “What we see in this exhibition is not just paintings; it also shows our culture and our roadmap for the future.”
Çavuş stated that the Turkish Cypriot people maintain their existence by preserving their connection with their past, and drew attention to the differences between the forms of struggle in the past and the methods of today. Stating that the Turkish Cypriot people are shaping their future today through science, education, culture, and art, Çavuş emphasized that Near East University is pioneering this understanding.
Çavuş said that Near East University is leading the way for Turkish Cypriot youth to understand their past and shape their future, adding, “Near East University means Cyprus.” Hüseyin Çavuş also said, “We will solve our problems and win by putting our culture, our past, and our future before our children, with the minds, artists, scholars, and scientists who are educated here.”
Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ: “Art is a powerful tool that preserves social memory, connects the past with the present, and carries our cultural heritage into the future.”
Stating that the two exhibitions that were opened together form a strong intellectual unity, Near East University Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ said, “On one side, there is the aspect of humanity that produces, builds, and creates culture; on the other side, there is the face that destroys, clashes, and is forced to start again.” Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ stated that Near East University does not consider art solely as an aesthetic field. Şanlıdağ said, “Art is a powerful tool that preserves social memory, connects the past with the present, and carries our cultural heritage into the future.”
Noting that this understanding forms the basis of the university’s museology vision, Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ stated that the culture and art ecosystem, created over the years with the Cyprus Modern Art Museum, the Cyprus Car Museum, the Cyprus Herbarium and Natural History Museum, the Nicosia Museum, and the GÜNSEL Art Museum, is constantly being developed. He added that one of the newest links in this structure is the HMAS TEAL / HMS JACTON Maritime Museum, recently opened to visitors in Girne New Port, and that HMAS TEAL, as the last representative of its class, carries an important maritime heritage.
Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ stated that technology has also become a part of the museum experience, and that the university’s AI-based academician, Prof. DUX, greets visitors and provides digital guidance. He noted that all these efforts reflect Near East University’s perspective on science, art, culture, and technology, adding that they operate with the understanding of “preserving the past while producing the technologies of the future; bringing science, art, culture, and innovation together on the same ground.”
Prof. Dr. Hakan Daloğlu: “Art makes destruction visible, prompting people to think and question.”
Speaking at the opening of his exhibition, artist Prof. Dr. Hakan Daloğlu stated that the “Anatolian Civilizations” exhibition not only recounts past civilizations but also sheds light on Anatolia’s cultural accumulation, history, and the common heritage of humanity. He noted that Anatolia has witnessed both wars and friendships throughout history, and that this heritage can be carried into the future today through peace, science, culture, and art.
Prof. Dr. Daloğlu, stating that the exhibition “War Politics” addresses not only the consequences of war but also its causes and effects on humanity, said that in his works he questions concepts such as war, violence, genocide, and destruction through different historical periods. Drawing attention to the danger of normalizing war, Professor Dr. Daloğlu stated that art makes this destruction visible, prompting people to think and question.
Touching upon the process of preparing the works, Prof. Dr. Daloğlu stated that he produced his works with intense effort, and thanked Dr. Suat İrfan Günsel, the Founding Rector of Near East University, for his support, noting that the opportunities provided played a significant role in continuing his artistic production.
Emphasizing that art alone cannot end wars but can create change in humanity’s world of thought and conscience, Prof. Dr. Daloğlu said that artists play a role in healing the wounds of war.
