TURHAN SELÇUK: Beyond Propaganda
till May 12th, 2006
"Turhan Selçuk, an internationally renowned cartoonist, finds himself today in the light of interest thanks to the actual Danish cartoonist-discussion.
Turhan Selçuk was born in 1922 in Istanbul. Since the 40s he is known as a cartoonist. Until these days he witnessed mischief mostly caused by political actions, reacting against it with his artwork. By his art he has been molded in the Turkish public opinion as critic of society.
The club Turkish Art Unites e.V. wants to demonstrate by this cartoonist's exhibition at Berlin - although there is a tense mood in media, politics, and the population - how an artist from Turkey fights against all kinds of fanaticism for 40 years without taking sides.
In the name of universal human values the artist did neither avoid imprisonment nor the oppression of his art. Turhan Selçuk has fought always beyond propaganda for freedom in the terms of the enlightenment."
Cetin Güzelhan
Foreword of the consul general of the Turkish Republic:
"Turhan Selçuk, whose cartoons were first shown in 1941 and who gained many honors in the past 64 years as an artist, has revealed to us all the universal language of the cartoons. We grew up with his drawings, we have learned to love cartoons, and we learned to show our pleasure and mourning with the help of his drawings. There were times in which we could laugh with the help of his drawings about our rather lamenting state.
There are moments, when words do not suffice to express what we feel. Right then, when words fail, we leech to the cartoons of Turhan Selçuk. In times, when people cannot communicate easily, his universal language helps us. In other words, his work is a shared language of understanding between people.
I try to describe Turhan Selçuk's work with words, but I must confess, that this is not easy. He and the depth of his inner world can be seen most clearly in his work, which we can all admire at this exhibition.
Turhan Selçuk is a living legend. With his cartoons he always has been, for the past 64 years, a lightening torch in our battle against the darkness. I bow low with the greatest respect."
Ahmet Nazif Alpman
