A video installation artwork on the theme of earthquakes by Ahmet Emin Batman, a 23-year-old Turkish Dutch artist living in Amsterdam, was exhibited at the world-famous Van Gogh Museum.
As part of the museum’s “Vincent on Friday” event, which translates the themes in Van Gogh’s work into evenings full of music, workshops, exhibits, talks and more held on the last Friday night of every month to support young artists and showcase their works to art enthusiasts. Within the scope of the event, Turkish artist Batman’s piece titled “Memento Diem” was featured on the main screen.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) about his work, Batman said: “‘Memento Diem’ is my video installation work that lies between celebrating life and remembering death. It is a creation that combines calligraphy, film and photography.”
Batman, who created his piece after the Feb. 6 earthquake devastated nearly 11 provinces of southeastern Türkiye, added: “My aim is to make people question where they stand between life and death, which position they take.”
Mahmut Burak Ersoy, the consul general of Türkiye in Amsterdam, expressed his satisfaction with the young Turkish artist’s work being exhibited at a special event in the internationally renowned Van Gogh Museum.
“The artist has established a connection between Van Gogh’s paintings and the common emotions created by the earthquake. In this sense, it is important not to forget and remember the earthquake,” he said.
Laura van Hasselt, a faculty member at the University of Amsterdam’s Faculty of Humanities who also attended the event, mentioned that what she liked most about Batman’s artwork was the presence of elements such as the sky that reflects a sense of hope while depicting a dreadful tragedy.
“There is somehow a message of hope in the artwork. After any tragedy, no matter how great, we must continue. Sometimes, humans must combine positive and negative things to stay strong and move forward,” Van Hasselt said.
Approximately a thousand people attended the event, and visitors had the opportunity to watch various artworks from different fields together for four hours.
