İlhan Berk's Nudes

İlhan Berk's paintings are meeting art lovers for the first time in 10 years. In the exhibition to be held at the Milli Reasürans Art Gallery between December 2-31, 1994, Berk's "nude" paintings, oil paintings, white erotic patterns drawn on a black background and also Istanbul maps will be presented.

Milli Reasürans Art Gallery published an İlhan Berk book for the exhibition. İlhan Berk's paintings and verses are thus brought together in the same book. The book also includes an article written by Abidin Dino for İlhan Berk.

İlhan Berk, who opened his first painting exhibition 20 years ago at Galeri Baraz and exhibited his last exhibition 10 years ago at Galeri Nev, said, “Writing is a great unhappiness for me… There is only one thing that saves me from this act of writing, which prevents me from seeing this world as it is and makes the world hell for me, and makes me happy: Painting.

Painting seems to me like love and life itself…” İlhan Berk “draws” pictures on every piece of paper he finds. Berk, who states that he strips himself of all prejudices, calculations and books while painting and stands naked in front of the painting, says, “Nothing comes between us and the object. Painting can be learned, I don’t want to learn,” and adds: “The paper has taken on a thousand forms under the hand, tea, coffee and alcohol have been spilled on it. My hand moves on this paper, I draw, I paint. I have never sat down to paint, I have never picked up a pen or a brush. The painting has called me, then I have done it.”