The Call That Attracts The Human Beings to The Heart of The Nature

Art Philosopher Nil Göksel
2008
Ankara

Yunus Emre Dokumacı’s paintings are a call up. A call for questioning the position of the human beings in the universe with respect to their empathic relation with the nature against the sick anthropocentrism of our science, our technology, our ethics, which determine our attitudes and behaviors to the human beings and the other living beings of the nature, and our positioning ourselves in an enormous universe.

Whereas the anthropocentric approach, which had been inherited from the doctrines holding that the all universe is created for rendering service to humans and which had pervaded in the science, philosophy and our lifestyle, is destroying the world and species for the sake of humans’ unbridled ambitions, pecuniary benefits and fun, perhaps, only art could express such a call to the human beings to turn back to the humanity and nature. Dokumacı, in his paintings, as it were, rendering visible the voice of the myths of the primitive societies and eastern thought that reminded on that the human beings had to be in conformity with universe. The artist’s gaze to nature, to a living being, or to an animal is not a gaze from outside and upside. Therefore, these paintings oblige the humans to forge a deep empathic relation with the animals. His figures of bears reveal the dirty face of our humanity, which had been inflated to a deity and whose cruelty is veiled with a sublimation process, through such empathic relation. We rediscover our humanity through a bear among the waves of the feelings of mercy, fear, protection, caution, compassion, desire, loneliness, despair, gloom, and love. None of the paintings is digressing from the partnership of a given animal and its living space with human being qua a living being. Each brushstroke of Dokumacı is an expression of a living and a dream belonging to this space and of an eternal feeling of protection and hiding that emerges from an empathic relation. The thin strokes of brush that expresses the vibration of this feeling form the broad color spots as if determining the borders of the animal and the living space whereto it wants to cling, and thus ignites a conflict between the human and the nature, I and the other, and our internal world and the conditions of the surrounding world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Natural Motifs to Picturesque Motifs

Regardless of their current, we see that, painters always feed on their environment. The painter, who learns art from art and artist, knowingly or unknowingly, finds his strength and foundation on what the environment around him gives to him. Many times he looks for himself in nature and in environment. He finds himself in the relations and motifs he encounters around. By reproducing the relations of forms and motifs, where he found himself, and as a result of his authentic language, at which he arrived as a result of that reproduction, he re-exists in society. He shares himself with society and presents himself to society with this language. He, thus, says what he wants to say and shows what he wants to show. The painters, throughout history of art, never gave up this attitude, and they don’t seem to do so either. If we look at Yunus Emre’s paintings from this angle, we can more easily and promptly forge a relation with them. Fifteen years ago, when Yunus Emre for the first time came to the painting workshop, it drew the attention that he was a silent guy, a bit tense, quite,but idiosyncratic and disobedient so that he would make his professors struggle with him a lot. Thus, it is understandable that Yunus Emre has been continuing his works on a single main theme (bears) since more than ten years –a case,which is especially striking for a young artist. It is frequently seen in the history of painting that artists – even young ones – be obsessed with and insist in a particular subject. Yunus Emre seems to be in the endeavor of transforming the motifs he observed in bears in various postures and positions into picturesque motifs.

 

 

Son iki üç aydır duayen ağabeyimiz gazeteci-yazar-ressam Fikret Otyam sağlık sorunlarıyla boğuşuyordu. Sık sık hastaneye gider gelir olmuştu. Filiz(Otyam) ablayı arayıp bilgi alıyorduk. Perşembe günleri Fikret ağabeyin en rahat olduğu gündür. Özlemiştim, öğleden sonra uğrayıp elini öpeyim istedim. Filiz abla kapıyı açıp 'buyur' ettiğinde içeriden Fikret ağabey bağırdı ''Hoşgeldin Büleeent''diye. Bilgisayarda yaptığı bir yanlışlıktan dolayı fontların küçüldüğünü ve ayarları düzeltemediğinden şikayet ediyordu. Eşi Filiz Otyam ablamızla gülüştük; ''Dokunuyor bir yerlere sonra düzeltmek için uğraşıyoruz'' diye de ekledi. Fikret ağabey, ''Biraz sonra sergiye gideceğiz. Sen de gel haydi'' dedi. Ressam Yunus Emre Dokumacı'yı anlattı; 'Ayı resmi vardı hatırlar mısın şu köşede? Onu yapan adam işte. Ben dedim gel sergi açalım sana diye. Geldi sağ olsun. Çok güzel resimleri var. Hayvanları severim ya ben de, çizdiği hayvanları sevesi geliyor insanın''

Büyükşehir Belediyesi Kültür ve Sosyal İşler Dairesi Başkanlığı'nın Antalya'ya kazandırdığı Fikret Otyam Sanat Galerisi,Türkiye'nin bütün sanatçılarına kapılarını açıyor. Yunus Emre Dokumacı'nın sergisi de 18 Mayıs'a kadar açık kalacak. Ankara'da çalışmalarını sürdüren Dokumacı, sadece Ayı çalışmaları yapmıyor elbette.

 

 

 

 

The artist followed a track going from the realism of the figures treated with a hairsplitting fastidiousness to the more intensive abstractions. But Dokumacı has a fascinating side which differentiates him from many artists who transformed their realist figures into abstractions in time. He uses the touches, a single unit that he used for forming his realist figures meticulously, as a structural member that composes the basic structure. Thus, the artist’s style is weaved with a robust net, in terms of both form and content. Considering many artists who multiplies herself/himself by coming up with the same word, same form and same structure each time for pretending to have a style, I must say that, it is extraordinarily difficult to create a style. What makes Dokumacı’s style robust is that he keeps up questioning his subject, walking on the road drawn by his form feeling and transforming his art fearlessly.

Through Yunus Emre Dokumacı’s paintings we are plunged into the heart of everything we ignored with a great callousness and “heartlessness.” We find our own heart and spirit, our humanity again within the world of a living being, within its body and spirit. Our, we humans’, remoteness from our humanity, i.e. our heartlessness reminds itself to us within the forms of bears. The multiplication of bear figures from within one another, their telescoping, is, as it were, the indications of the need of our loneliness to others, other humans and other living beings. These telescoped figures and this gloomy spirit proliferating from within one another are folding and extending the limited composition before our eyes all the way to the infinity. Therefore, all paintings are emerging as a manifestation of a single painting in an absolute single unit.

There are two aspects in Dokumacı’s paintings to consider with respect to the form and content relation. First is the self-revelation of a hidden existence in a part determined by the artist, that is to say, a single brushstroke transforms into the substance of a whole painting, and a painting into the whole visual discourse of the artist. The compositions are widened with an atomic structure, and the smallest units and brushstrokes reflects the whole painting as a mirror, and all these indicate this substantiality.

The second aspect of the artist’s studies is the annihilation of the difference between the inside and outside. None of the paintings allows us to identify the inside and outside of any figure. These figures have neither insides nor borders that separate them from the other figures and forms. Each figure is absolutely imprisoned into itself and others. These paintings are neither excluding the gazes that turned to them. Therefore, while looking to these paintings, we cannot remain as humans which we accustomed ourselves to see. The paintings are so strongly forcing us to empathy that we begin to question all our judgments related to our humanity. Our non-exclusion from the paintings teaches us the impossibility of staying outside of the nature. Dokumacı’s paintings are blurring the absolute limits we put between the inside and outside, I and the other, and human and the nature/animal.

For this very reason, Yunus Emre Dokumacı’s call up in his paintings allows us to reconstruct our approach to ourselves and to the nature. The gloom in his figures reminds us that we are not the tyrant of the world but a part of the nature.

Review-Barış Yıldırım

In his works, subject is not one solely reflected from the nature, but has been restructured, embodied, and endowed with a structure that is, maybe, fed on spiritual andsubconscious anxieties. In this reconstruction, apparently, what is important is the selection of the observation data and the individual approach for forging therelations. Scarcity and plainness in the forms that had been turned into motifs give a monumental characteristic to his paintings as well as rendering them effective.The brush, which, as it were, is heightened to the level of being a building stone, is the most effective component in creation of picturesque space, formation of motifs and constitution of the atmosphere. His use of brush touches on broad surfaces in an organized and holistic manner, in a similar way but without being ordinary and decorative shows that his practice is quite organic, and his vital ground is sound and enduring.This vitality, the desire of freedom and atmosphere might be what lie down in that, in some of his most recent paintings, the motif and mass structure had melt and give way to broad surfaces based on brush, line and paint circulation. His insistence, fastidiousness and patient in selecting and implementing the subject as well as his leaving developments and changes to their own organic formation might be seen as a conscious and professional behavior. This very behavior gives us the possibility that we can anticipate delightful surprises from Yunus Emre in the future.

Prof. Veysel Günay
May 2011
İstanbul

Anadolu Parsı-Leoparı gibi çeşitli hayvanlara çalışmalarında özgün kompozisyonlarla yer veriyor. Kendine özgü kullandığı on dört yılda oluşturduğu hayvan postlarından yola çıkarak kurguladığı tuşeleri, ilginç boya katmanlarıyla, farklı tonlamalarla değişik malzemelerle sanatseverlere sunuyor. Hayvanlar-Ayılar temasına nasıl bulaştığını anlattı; ''Güzel Sanatlar Lisesi eğitimimi sürdürdüğüm yıllarda da çeşitli hayvanları çalışmaktaydım. Üniversite'de ilk yıllarımda ayı tuvali rica eden profesyonel avcı aynı zamanda cerrah yakın akrabam bir büyüğüme yaptığım tuval şu an ki işlerime gidecek izleri başlattı. Bursa Karacabey Ayı Barınağı ve bir çok hayvanat bahçesinde yerinde çizimler gözlemler sonrası çeşitli çalışmalar çıktı. İlerledi bunlar tabii daha da yalınlaşıyor. Yani işte şu an Hayvan-İnsan Yalnızlığı, Varoluş kavramları üzerinde geziniyorum.''

Dokumacı'nın taklidini yapanlar çıkmış; 'İki genç ressam tarzımı taklit etmeye başlamış. Son yıllarda kafa yorup çabalamadan başkalarının uğraşısının birikiminin onurunun üzerine çıkıp kolayca bir şeyler elde etmeye çalışmak moda oldu. O genç arkadaşlara tavsiyem kendi tarzlarını ortaya koymak için çok çalışmaları.''

Filiz Otyam araya girdi; ''Onların yaptığı çalıntı sayılır. Sanat hırsızlığıdır bence''dedi.'' Neden hayvan ve ayı çalışmaları? '' diye sorduk. Dokumacı'nın yanıtı kısa ama anlamlıydı; ''İnsanları yapıp ne yapacağım.Siz hiç 2.Dünya Savaşı yapan hayvanlar gördünüz mü?''

Bülent Ecevit-GÜN Haber Antalya 06 Mayıs 2013

NUOVA MOSTRA DI YUNUS EMRE DOKUMACI

La mostra sarà visitabile dal 21 ottobre al 6 novembre. Dopo molto tempo, le opere di Yunus Emre Dokumacı saranno visitabile al Centro Culturale e Artistico di Nazım Hikmet, Sisli, Istanbul. Le sue espressioni caratteristiche e i suoi costrutti unici distinguono l'uso della tela di Dokumacı da altri approcci contemporanei. Dokumacı ritiene che il creatore dell'opera d'arte, in qualsiasi forma essa sia, debba semplicemente fare il suo lavoro e poi sparire. Il nome di Yunus Emre Dokumacı ha attirato l'attenzione per la prima volta nel 2001, quando i suoi dipinti sono state esposte nella Galleria d'Arte Siyah Beyaz di Ankara, dopo aver ricevuto il 7° Premio delle Arti della Galleria. In seguito, ha ricevuto i premi della rivista RH Arts Magazine per i giovani pittori nel 2004 e dell'Associazione Internazionale delle Arti Plastiche nell'ambito della mostra " Giovani escursioni nella pittura turca contemporanea" del Museo di Pera nel 2005. Successivamente, nel 2010, ha partecipato alla mostra " La giovane generazione della pittura turca contemporanea" a Çağdaş, Beşiktaş. È stato inoltre premiato al 10° Premio Internazionale Giovani Pittori da RH Sanat nel 2014. Dopo il 2008 la filosofia artistica di Yunus Emre Dokumacı si è orientata verso la semplicità. Oggi la sua pratica artistica si concentra sulle pellicce, le piume, le pelli e gli artigli degli animali fino ad arrivare all'astratto. Dal 1997 ha osservato e disegnato pelli e artigli di orsi e leopardi dell'Anatolia nel Santuario degli orsi di Bursa Karacabey, in vari giardini zoologice e rifugi per animali. I suoi dipinti cercano di catturare e incapsulare la spontaneità e le emozioni dell'animale sia all'interno che intorno. In seguito, ha riflesso una selezione di queste osservazioni sulla telaOra, egli crea dei costrutti a partire da questi elementi, impilandoli in modo organizzato e in pieno contrasto con lo stato naturale. La struttura di base dei suoi lavori è caratterizzata dai tocchi di piuma che rendono possibile la formazione deli suoi dipinti, dallo sforzo di creare una scia di progressione tra gli intervalli che sembrano sovrapporsi in sfondi più scuri e a volte più chiari, ma che rivelano la trasformazione potentemente fondente oscillata a intervalli millimetrici. Yunus Emre Dokumacı continua a vivere nel suo studio/appartamento ascoltando artisti del calibro di Vedat Sakman, Edit Piaf e Radio Ilef, occasionalmente spaventati dalle voci di maldestre repliche deli suoi dipinti, o da un sedicente gallerista che sostiene che "c'è un altro che dipinge orsi", o da pazzi che sfogliano internet e giornali stranieri solo per imbattersi nel dipinto di un orso di una pittrice europea del 2004, nel maniacale tentativo di "trovare qualcuno che abbia realizzato ciò che ha fatto lui", pur sapendo che Dokumacı lavora su Figure di orso dal 1997 per raggiungere la massima semplicità in quella forma e continua a ridere in faccia agli antagonisti delle tele che osano sostenere che "un pittore turco non può essere originale, deve copiare da uno straniero". Si è diplomato alla Scuola Anatolico di Belle Arti di Eskisehir nel 1991 e si è laureato presso il Dipartimento di Pittura della Facoltà di Belle Arti dell'Università di Hacettepe nel 2000. I suoi dipinti sono considerati da collezione non solo in Turchia, ma anche in Germania, Moldavia, Svezia e Stati Uniti. I suoi dipinti sono stati esposti in varie mostre collettive in molte gallerie, tra cui RHSanat, KareSanat e UPSD. Yunus Emre Dokumacı è membro dell'UPSD dal 2004. Le sue mostre personali sono state ospitate da molte importanti gallerie, tra cui la Siyah Beyaz Art Gallery, la Galeri Soyut, l'Università Kültür di Istanbul e la Facoltà di Belle Arti, Design e Architettura dell'Università Baskent.

NEW EXHIBIT BY YUNUS EMRE DOKUMACI

The exhibit will be on view between October 21st until November 6th After a long time, Yunus Emre Dokumacı’s works will be on view in Nazım Hikmet Kültür Sanat, Sisli With his characteristic expressions and unique constructs, Dokumacı’s use of canvas stands out from other contemporary approaches. Dokumacı strongly believes that the creator of art, in whatever form of it, should simply execute her function and disappear afterwards. Yunus Emre Dokumacı’s name attracted attention first time in 2001 where his works exhibited in Ankara Siyah Beyaz Art Gallery after he received 7th Arts Award of the Gallery. Building upon this initiation, he received awards from RH Arts Magazine’s Young Painters’ Awards in 2004 and from International Association of Plastic Arts in Pera Museum’s “Young Excursions in Contemporary Turkish Painting” exhibition in 2005. Later in 2010, he took part in “Young Generation of Contemporary Turkish Painting” exhibition in Çağdaş, Beşiktaş. He was also awarded in 10th International Young Painters Awards by RH Sanat in 2014. The artistic philosophy of Yunus Emre Dokumacı pared down after 2008. Today, the focus of his artistic practice covers the furs, feathers, pelts, and claws to the degree of the abstract. Since 1997, he has observed and drawn pelts and claws of Anatolian bears and leopards in Bursa Karacabey Bear Sanctuary various zoos and animal shelters. His works strived to capture and encapsulate the spontaneity and emotions of the animal both within and around the human. He then canvased a selection of these observations. Now he makes constructs out of them by stacking them in an organized manner in full contrast with the natural state. The basic structure of his works is characterized by the feather touches that make the formation of his works possible, the effort to create a trail of progression between the intervals that seem to overlap in darker and sometimes lighter backgrounds but reveal the powerfully merging transformation swung at millimetric intervals. Yunus Emre Dokumacı continues to live in his studio/home apartment listening to likes of Vedat Sakman, Edit Piaf and Radio Ilef occasionally startled by rumors of clumsy replications of his works, or by a so-called gallery manager who utters “there is another one who paints bears”, or by lunatics who scan through internet and foreign newspapers only to encounter an European female painter’s 2004 painting of a bear in a manic effort to “find someone achieved what he did” despite knowing the very fact that Dokumacı has been working on Bear Figures since 1997 to achieve the utter simplicity in that form and continues to laugh at the face of antagonists of canvasses who dare to claim that “a Turkish painter cannot be original, he must copy from a foreigner”. Graduated from Eskisehir Anatolian Highschool of Fine Arts in 1991 and got his graduate degree from the Department of Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts of Hacettepe University in 2000. His works are collected in Turkey as well as in Germany, Moldova, Sweden and United States. His works have been exhibited in various group exhibitions in many galleries including RHSanat, KareSanat and UPSD. Yunus Emre Dokumacı is a member of UPSD since 2004. His solo exhibitions were hosted many prominent galleries including Siyah Beyaz Art Gallery, Galeri Soyut , İstanbul Kültür University and Baskent University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture