A solo exhibition titled "Great Rulers, Micro Details" by artist Murat Uçar, who creates works of art using micro art techniques, has been opened at Istanbul's Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM).
Throughout his artistic career, Uçar has created micro paintings and sculptures of items such as watches, jewelry and similar accessories. He previously designed a watch for the pope depicting Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper."
Talking to an Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent, Uçar said that he produces his works in a personalized manner, as a result of which they are not brought into the public space and therefore have low visibility.
The artist, mentioning that he has prepared works for many politicians and artists both domestically and abroad, said: "Based on the experience I gained from my works, I thought I needed to write a different story. In other words, I desired my works to be more recognized and to become an artist representing our country internationally. For this purpose, I had very good projects. Now I have the opportunity to exhibit one of these important ideas in a place like the AKM and I am very happy about it."
Uçar, stating that the micro art technique has a rich history and many works prepared with this method are exhibited in the Topkapı Palace, said:
"The micro art technique is widely used in the jewelry and watch industry abroad, especially. However, there are very few artists in our country who currently produce works with this technique, and unfortunately, this important art is not very well known. I try my best to make this art more recognized. The main reason that led me to this art was my search for my own method. All the great artists who left their mark in the past have different stories. I discovered the micro art technique while searching for my own path. Initially, I intended to make the paintings in small-sized panels and exhibit them in world museums. However, thinking that these small works should have a bigger impact, I applied this technique to valuable accessories such as jewelry. Therefore, I try to use the microtechnique not only as a painting but also by using different branches of art. I have created works for world leaders and received very positive feedback. As a result of these, I decided to organize such an exhibition."
Emphasizing that the Ottoman Empire rulers, who are the subject of the exhibition, are very powerful figures, Uçar said: "I am an artist who creates micro works of art. So, I use a minimal technique. If it had been otherwise, the representation of such a world-encompassing state like the Ottoman Empire in this way could have been questioned a bit. I could have been asked, 'Why are you presenting our sultans in such a small way?' However, I aim to narrate our sultans, whom you perceive as great names, with small details, that is, with micro-stories. The works I create are a result of my respect for our sultans."
Murat Uçar, drawing attention to the fact that the exhibited works can only be seen with a magnifying glass, evaluated: "Magnifiers are a very important tool for our exhibition. We wanted to hang magnifiers above in an important art center in Istanbul like AKM to increase interest in such an exhibition. Thus, we aimed for our visitors to reach a different artistic experience, and magnifiers added great visual richness to the exhibition."
The exhibition, consisting of 36 micro-works depicting Ottoman sultans' portraits, can be visited until May 22.
