Curated by Professor Hasan Bülent Kahraman, the "Fifth Element" sculpture exhibition is held as part of the 12th Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair.
Speaking at the exhibition's opening ceremony organized at Maçka Sanatçılar Park in Istanbul, Prof. Kahraman emphasized that the most important concepts in the world are creativity, innovativeness and entrepreneurship.
Implying that the element of "creativity" is what separates human beings from other living creatures, Prof. Kahraman said that "Humans are not simply natural creatures. They are, undoubtedly, a complex combination of biological and physiological elements. However, the entity which distinguishes us from other creatures is the mind. The things we create, produced by human intelligence, are the products of our minds."
Speaking about what he refers to as the "fifth essential element of life," Prof. Kahraman asserted that in addition to the elements of air, water, fire and earth, "sculpture" is the fifth essential element of life, pointing out that even though sculpting did not become an art form until later in history, human beings have been engaged in some form of sculpting since the beginning of time.Jan Fabre, "Otoportrait," bronze, 2010
The professor said, "Sculpting is the formation of the combination of the four elements of air, water, fire and earth. However, these things are not enough to create a sculpture, because the formation of a sculpture is influenced by the creativity factor. We do not have a culture that embraces sculpting intimately. Sculpting became a real art form with the modernization of humanity but we are still a long way from authentic, true sculpting. This exhibition aims to bridge the gap between modern humanity and the origins of sculpting. For the first time, we are holding an exhibition which presents the examples of contemporary art in a park area."
Kahraman said that carefully selected works which have an important place in the art of sculpting will be presented to art lovers in Istanbul.
Exhibition welcomes Istanbulites at night
Speaking about the fact that the exhibition has turned into a major art event, Şişli Mayor Hayri İnönü said art consultants and artists alike have exerted extensive efforts to prepare for the exhibition.
He asserted that Istanbulites should visit the exhibition in order to enjoy a visual feast of these beautiful works, adding: "I hope Istanbulites will visit the exhibit and enjoy experiencing these works firsthand. The more events like this are organized, the more our people will become acquainted with sculpting and begin to explore the art form themselves. The most important thing about sculpting is creating something unique and not an imitation."
The chairman of the Contemporary Istanbul Executive Board Ali Güreli reminded that the gallery itself is 12 years old, adding that 73 galleries have been opened so far and 42 of them have come from abroad.
Providing information about Contemporary Istanbul's efforts to raise the quality in art and trade in the wake of difficulties encountered in the previous year, Güreli said, "A total of 26 new and qualified galleries have been featured at Contemporary Istanbul, which has decided to support the quality of its content with key events. I want to add that the venue is open to Istanbulites at night." The exhibition is open to visitors until Sept. 19.