Hosted by the Zeytinburnu Municipality, Hüseyin Gündüz's first solo calligraphy exhibition "Beyond the Letters" has opened, featuring the works he has produced for the last 40 years. Speaking at the opening of the exhibition at the Zeytinburnu Cultural Center, Zeytinburnu Mayor Murat Aydın said that Gündüz's event is the closing exhibition of the season. "Forty years of work suggests a life dedicated to the art of calligraphy. It is an honor to display these beautiful calligraphic works, which witnessed the memory of that life," he said. Highlighting that he cannot spare time for himself as he is an academic, Gündüz said, "This exhibition constitutes my life for the last 40 years. I also restore damaged manuscripts. Old manuscripts and calligraphic works should be renovated by calligraphists, as they are the people who know about the letter, anatomy, aesthetics and materials the artist uses." He stressed that these kinds of valuable pieces cannot be handed over to individuals who have no idea about the art. "Hence, it took a lot of time to restore mine," he underscored. The artist said he plans to showcase more of his works through much larger exhibitions, and emphasized the fact that he has put his drawings, sketches and compositions that he made over the years into practice thanks to this exhibition. A 75-page catalogue, which features the works of Gündüz, who has participated in nearly 80 group exhibitions so far, is presented to the exhibition's visitors. Curated by Mehmet Lütfi Şen, the exhibition will be open until June 10. Gündüz, who began performing calligraphy upon the encouragement of Professor Muhittin Serin, is a professor in the Department of Traditional Turkish Arts at Mimar Sinan University's Faculty of Fine Arts.

When: Until June 10

Where: Zeytinburnu Cultural Center