Until March 14, lovers of unconventional art can visit the exhibition "In the footsteps of the first" by Turkish artist Ardan Özmenoğlu. The works, which are exhibited at Vivacom Hall & Art in Sofia, are dedicated to Women's Day – March 8.
In Turkey, the path to women's empowerment was historically achieved by the visionary leadership of Kemal Ataturk, who firmly believed that the progress of a nation depended on the full participation of women in public life.
„Thanks to his reforms, Turkey became one of the first countries to give women not only the right to vote and be elected, but also the right to access higher education, to practice various professions, and legal equality in their civil rights. These efforts paved the way for women to become judges, doctors, engineers, diplomats and artists“, said during the opening of the exhibition, the Ambassador of Turkey to Bulgaria Mehmet Sait Uyanık.
“Hopefully Sofia will open the way for her to other large cities that will welcome her art. In the modern world, women are placed in various active roles not only as mothers and wives, but also as active public politicians, philosophers, and today as artists“, said the Speaker of the National Assembly Natalia Kiselova. She added that she was not very curious about what this style of post-it notes looks like.
“The author uses them in an original and unique way. They are a kind of new way of presenting information and art. All of us who work in an office use these slips of paper, but today they are presented to us in a very different and impactful way. Through her art, she introduces us to the modern woman, the one she can be in many different roles“, concluded Kiselova.
In her first solo exhibition in Sofia, Ardan Özmenoğlu interprets works by female artists such as Mihri Müşfik, Hale Assaf, Fahrelnisa Zeyd, Alie Berger, Sabiha Bengutaş, who have defended their place in art and created their own style, despite facing many difficulties throughout history.
The current exhibition aims to follow in their footsteps and show how art has transcended boundaries and the struggles of women artists throughout history. In it, the author establishes a strong connection between the past and the present, Turkey and Europe, tradition and modernity, while at the same time following the traces of reactionism, creativity and freedom in art.
