Turkish painter Ömer Kaleşi began his painting career after visiting an exhibition by Henry Moore held at the Davut Pasha Bath in Skopje. After he migrated to Turkey with his family, he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts, now the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, in Istanbul. Graduating in 1965, Kaleşi celebrates his 50th year as a member of the Turkish art scene this year. Without losing his enthusiasm, the artist has continued to produce for many years, while exhibiting his works at solo and group exhibitions around the world. Kaleşi's most significant achievement was probably his July exhibition at the City Museum of Bitola, formerly a military high school, where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk studied in his homeland, Macedonia. His newest exhibition at the Tem Art Gallery where he has been working for 29 years, marks his 50th year. Additionally, a new book titled "Ömer Kaleşi: Canlı Doğa Resimleri" (Ömer Kaleşi: Still-Life Nature Paintings) written by French author Gil Jouanard and translated by Kaya Özsezgin, has also been introduced to readers. The book pays tribute to Kaleşi and examines his still-life paintings depicting fruits which were colored by spatula. In a statement, Kaleşi said he paints mostly heads in his works. "Hundreds of heads...Why do I paint them? I do not know. This is my job and I will continue to do it. Heads are the center of my personal painting style. I think the head comes before the body and leads to other limbs in any way it wishes. When I paint a head, I make a human. You do not need an entire body to make one; the body is incapable of making a decision. You see everything in a head, it is enough. There is no need for a body which does not have any purpose," he continued. Born in 1932, Kaleşi describes human feelings, loneliness and his struggle against life through an abstract language. He reflects his thoughts in different colors, especially red. The human is the most important subject, yet he only prioritizes the head, the essential detail of the human body. "I cannot deal with heads, but I know I will paint them for the rest of my life," he added. Kaleşi sometimes depicts heads as opponents. When there are no opposing heads, he paints still-life paintings of fruits or creates children with apples. He generally uses a spatula and applies a unique method by harmonizing figures with an abstract pattern which is made by spreading the paint from the center to the margins of the canvas without making lines. For those unable to attend the exhibition, an online version is available at www.temartgallery.com www.temartgallery.com along with artists' profiles and past exhibitions. The event will run until Jan. 28.