Wall Paintings Mirror the World at the Kennedy Museum of Art
Contact: Clair Carpenter, (740) 593-0955 or carpente@ohio.edu
Editors: The following images can be downloaded from the web:
- Stop Bombing Yugoslavia, 1999
- www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/BOMBING.JPG
- Monkey With No Future, 1999
- www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/NOFUTURE.JPG
- SoHo Web, 1999
- www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/SOHOWEB.JPG
ATHENS, Ohio (May 25, 2001) -- Burhan Dogancay has used his paintbrush and camera to capture a facet of human expression that transcends culture. The world-renowned artist's obsession with walls from around the world is revealed at the Kennedy Museum of Art's newest exhibit. "Dogancay: Wall Paintings from the Museum Collection." The exhibit runs through Sunday, August 26.
Dogancay was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1929. In 1964 he resigned from his position as a Turkish diplomat to pursue a career as an artist. Now a U.S. citizen, Dogancay lives and works in New York City and has a studio in SoHo.
Walls serve as the theme for Dogancay's artwork and as the basis of his artistic expression. Since cave paintings originated thousands of years ago, walls have remained an important form of expression for all societies. "Walls are mirrors of the world around them," Dogancay said during a recent visit to the museum.
His wall paintings have a strong three-dimensional element and explore topics such as love, sex and politics. In addition to his paintings, Dogancay has photographed walls from over 112 countries, resulting in an archive of approximately 25,000 slides of walls from around the world. His work has been exhibited worldwide and is represented in over 50 major museum and corporate collections.
The Ohio Arts Council provided partial funding for this exhibit to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
The Education Gallery is also on view, featuring selections from the Southwest Native American Collection, supported in part by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.
The Kennedy Museum of Art is located in Lin Hall, The Ridges, and is accessible from Route 682 in Athens, Ohio. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 12-5 p.m.; Thursday from 12-8 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Gallery guides are available to provide information and to answer questions about the exhibit on Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free. Anyone who would like to receive information about upcoming exhibits and events via e-mail should contact the museum at kenmus@www.ohio.edu. The museum's Web page is located at www.ohiou.edu/museum/
