Süleyman Tekcan's retrospective exhibition opens at Milli Reasürans.

Tekcan's reckoning with 35 years of artistic experience

Painter Süleyman Tekcan's 35th year in the arts is being celebrated with a retrospective exhibition at the Milli Reasürans Art Gallery. Approximately 80 works, selected from the artist's extensive work, will be on view from October 6th to November 1st.

The exhibition showcases Süleyman Saim Tekcan's six distinct periods. The first, exploring horon and folkloric themes, is followed by the "Mother and Children" series. This is followed by the artist's abstract period, inspired by Anatolian civilizations and the Hittite Sun. In this exhibition, Süleyman Saim Tekcan's paintings, which resemble miniatures from his "Objects" period, can be seen, including his latest "Horses" series.

"Süleymanname"

The artist, who has been working on the "Horses" series for approximately eight years and has produced numerous paintings around this theme using both engraving and lithography, watercolor, and oil painting techniques, uses calligraphy as an internal pattern material, creating a remarkably rich texture on the painting surface. In the "Horses" series, the artist occasionally draws connections to miniature, Anatolian, and Ottoman culture. Selected examples from this series are presented in "Süleymanname," a binding, cover, and page design entirely based on Ottoman tradition. The book, which features Ottoman inscriptions about the artist and 30 paintings from the "Horses" series—adorned with illumination—also features the signature of Süleyman Saim Tekcan, written by calligrapher Emin Barın.

A book titled "35-Year Story," which features Süleyman Saim Tekcan's retrospective exhibition, has been prepared by the Milli Reasürans Art Gallery.

Experimental Works

The artist, who has produced numerous paintings with great discipline throughout his 35-year artistic career, says of his retrospective exhibition, "No matter which period you consider, you will find traces of Turkish culture in every period." Tekcan, who states that he has never lost his enthusiasm for art and is constantly experimenting with new techniques, says, "I integrate my painting with the excitement brought by the technique. Whether it's engraving, watercolor, or oil, all my paintings have an experimental flavor."

Tekcan, who goes beyond traditional printmaking techniques by printing colors on top of each other without drying and creating intermediate colors from this combination, continues his serigraphy, lithography, and engraving work in his studio, known as the Çamlıca Art House. To date, nearly 70 artists have produced over 600 original prints in his studio.