'Porno Paintings' (!) in Aydın

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sondakika.com Website, 30 September 2019)



                        Blindfolds available at the door.

Two Turkish artists who came from Norway to teach aspiring artists
in Efeler town in Aydın province have become embroiled in a
controversy with the municipality over 'nudity'.  Municipal officials
have declared the artists' paintings to contain 'too much nudity' so their
teaching contracts have been canceled. (!)

At the invitation of Fatih Atay, the mayor of Efeler, Eser Afacan (66)
and Hakan Yaşar (43) came from Norway, where they live, and started
a painting course in June.  The course, open to all ages and free, was
conducted in July and August.  The artists received 20,000 TL (about
$3,500) for July but when it came time for the second month's payment
municipal officials balked, saying that there was "too much nudity".


                                           Scandalous!

Afacan explained that "the mayor insisted that we come so based on his
word, we came.  We've been in Efeler for 4 months and they have been
continually causing problems for us.  We came at our own expense,
expecting only to be paid for teaching the course.  There were to be 20
students and we were to get 20,000 TL each month.  But after they
made the first payment they started to ridicule us. Two weeks ago they
canceled the course and they're putting pressure on us to leave but we're
staying.  We promised to teach 20 future artists in this town and we will
keep our word - at our own expense. What the town won't do we will.
We're going to open a school here and stay put."

Continuing, Afacan stated that "From the start, they knew what kind of
paintings we make. So if they wanted an artist in Turkey who didn't do
nude paintings, why didn't they invite him instead of us?  They even had
an exhibition of our paintings, bragging that 'we have brought international
artists to Efeler.'  The mayor and his wife had us explain each of the
paintings one by one and they showered us with compliments.  So at that
time there were no problems.  For us, nudes are art but then they started to
say that our paintings are 'porno paintings'.  I have had exhibitions in
Ankara and Istanbul and I've participated in international exhibitions.
I have held more than 100 exhibitions of my work."


                         Efeler is in Aydın city.