Having been created by 14 talented Azerbaijani artists living in Turkey, 40 distinguished artworks have been donated to the Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts. The Exhibition of the Azerbaijani Artists was opened with the participation of TRNC Tourism and Environment Minister Fikri Ataoğlu.
According to the press release issued by the Directorate of Press and Public Relations Office of Near East University, the opening ceremony of the exhibition, which was held at the Exhibition Hall of Near East University Hospital, was realized with the participation of TRNC Tourism and Environment Minister Fikri Ataoğlu, NEU Founding Rector Dr. Suat İ. Günsel, NEU Board of Trustees Chairman Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irfan Günsel, NEU Rector Prof. Dr. Umit Hassan, vice rectors, deans, faculty members, Azerbaijani artists and the guests.
The opening speeches of the exhibition were delivered respectively by NEU Rector Professor Umit Hassan, Professor Ilham Enveroğlu, Azerbaijani artist and lecturer at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Konya Selçuk University, and Professor Doctor Vahid Novruzov, Azerbaijani artist and lecturer at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University.
Following the speeches, NEU Board of Trustees Chairman Associate Professor Irfan Günsel presented certificate of appreciation to the Azerbaijani artists in recognition of their contributions to the Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts.
Prof. Dr. Umit Hassan: "The Art of Painting of Azerbaijan Exists with its Own Internal Dynamics..."
Expressing his excitement and happiness of being together with very valuable artists, NEU Rector Professor Umit Hassan drew attention to the significance of the cultural cohesion and brotherhood existing between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Azerbaijan.
Extending his gratitude to the Founding Rector Dr. Suat Günsel for providing people with an environment to meet with arts, Professor Hassan talked about the interactive relations of art in the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Stating that Azerbaijan was known worldwide with her literature and music, Professor Hassan underlined that the basic and desirable goal, which was to open up to the universal one while sustaining national consciousness, had come into being in the art of Azerbaijan.
Expressing that Azerbaijani art of painting was present with its own internal dynamics, Professor Hassan said that art education received during the period of Soviet Azerbaijan resulted as new genres of visual arts and the development of realistic easel painting and oil-on canvas painting in Azerbaijan Turks. “Azerbaijani artists are currently members of more than twenty foreign art academies and this has importance on personal sense. In Azerbaijan, every painter is in search of a unique style. The most important issue is color. It is not possible to distinguish the color from other elements in the picture. The fascination of the color stands out in the Azerbaijani paintings and is open to all sorts of école, creative activities and pioneering paintings. Activity and dynamism take place peculiarly in the paintings. Paintings depicting sports, dance and cavalry come to the forefront" said he.
Near East University Has Been Making Great Invesments in Art...
In his opening remarks, Professor Ilham Enveroğlu said that it was an honor for him to be at the Near East University and the exhibition. Expressing that the roots of Azerbaijani art went back to 10 thousand years, Professor Enveroğlu stated that Azerbaijani art constituted the same parallels with Sumerian culture that given rise by the Kura-Araxes culture which gave rise to many cultures in many territories. Highlighting that during the Renaissance, many Azerbaijani artists had undertaken art mission in many territories ranging from Andalusia to China, Professor Enveroğlu stated that they were an important inspiration source for Renaissance painters.
Underlining the crucial role of Founding Rector Dr. Suat Günsel's efforts and great investments in collecting, preserving and conveying the Turkic World's cultural and artistic heritage to next generations, Professor Enveroğlu extended his appreciations to Near East Family and added that they would continue to contribute.
Vahid Novruzov: "We Get to Know the Essence of Our Culture Here..."
Underlining that culture was the greatest weapon, Vahid Novruzov, lecturer at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, stated that the Founding Rector Dr. Günsel had spared no sacrifices and made great investments in arts and he praised Günsel for his choosing one of the right paths to introduce the Turkic art and culture to wider populations over the globe. "The Turks has expanded all over the world. The artists, who come here, have the opportunity to get to know Cyprus, our culture and our essence. We also have the opportunity to come together with Turkic artists coming from different countries and this gathering of Turkic artists constitutes an environment for us to get to better know our essence. I would like to take this opportunity and extend my appreciations to mainly the Founding Rector Dr. Suat Günsel, NEU Board of Trustees Chairman Associate Professor Irfan Günsel and NEU administrative staff for providing us with opportunity to gather together and get to know our essence" said he.
Minister Fikri Ataoğlu: “Near East University Has Been Taking Admirable Steps towards Developing the Modern Museology in Our Country..."
Underlining that it was not possible to keep up with the innovative activities carried out by the Near East Family, the Tourism and Environment Minister Fikri Ataoğlu stated that Near East University had been making outstanding strides to promote our country and make it an attractive destination for tourists.
Addressing the importance of museums in adding color and vividness to the social life, Minister Ataoğlu expressed his views: “From 1979 up to the present day, excluding the restoration of the St. Barnabas Monastery in 1991, no significant steps have been taken. Near East University has put the wheels into motion and begun to take gigantic steps beyond the steps taken so far to introduce our country and to create places of interest for tourists to visit. In private sector, the steps taken by the Near East University are more admirable than the steps taken by the state. Our duty is to stand by the steps taken, to provide contributions for the functionality of the museums, to encourage tourists to visit the museums and to ensure the promotion of our country by means of our cultural, historical and artistic heritage" noted he.
Stating that they had been taking steps to fulfill their part as government and ministry, Minister Ataoğlu indicated that they initiated works to open a museum in all districts adding that Near East University, without demanding anything, would design the interior spaces of these museums and mobilize all her possibilities to bring them into service.
Expressing that he felt pride of the things done by the Near East University, Minister Ataoğlu extended his appreciations to the Near East University in recognition of her attaching importance in arts and launching an outstanding art museum and organizing activities for the promotion of our country. "I also would like to take this opportunity and extend my gratitude to the Azerbaijani artists for their unique contributions to the exhibition and for being with us. I wish the museum, where their unique artworks are being displayed, will be an attractive destination of tourism" said he.
They Cut the Ribbon and Toured the Exhibition...
Following the speeches, Tourism and Environment Minister Fikri Ataoğlu, the university administration and Azerbaijani artists cut the ribbon and toured the exhibition all together. 40 artworks that created by 14 Azerbaijani artists by using oil painting and acrylic techniques will be included in the inventory of the Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts.
