Selected National and International Exhibitions -1

1) Halil AKDENİZ(Antalya 1944)  

 

 

Biography

Halil Akdeniz was born in 1944 in Antalya, Turkey. He studied for a Bachelor’s degree and for specialized training at the Gazi Institute of Education, Department of Fine Arts Training in Ankara and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin - HdK, Berlin (now the University of the Arts, Berlin). He received his Master’s degree, proficiency in Fine Arts, and a PhD at the Aegean University, and at Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir. He became an assistant professor in 1986, associate professor in 1987, and professor in 1994. He worked as instructor at the Gazi Institute of Education (now Gazi University) in Ankara, the Aegean University, Dokuz Eylul University, Bilkent University, and Anadolu University. He founded the departments of Fine Arts at the Aegean, Dokuz Eylul, and Bilkent Universities. He worked in various positions at these universities ranging from department chairmanship to membership in faculty committees, university senates and university administrative committees. He served as cultural adviser in the Turkish Embassies in Bonn and Berlin between 1996-2000, and as adviser in the Turkish Ministry of Culture in 2001. He worked as instructor at Anadolu University, Faculty of Fine Arts between 2001-2005. He founded the Department of Art Sciences - a first in Turkey - within the Graduate School of Social Sciences of Anadolu University, and started the Program in Fine Arts Theory and Criticism (2003). He continues to work as an artist in Ankara.

Halil Akdeniz is known in Contemporary Turkish Art through his art and his research writings. Begun around 1978 and in the 1980s, with series such as “Visual Treatments of the Pollution in the Gulf of Izmir”, his artistic analyses, based on scholarly research concerning problems of the physical environments where he lived, continued with Ephesus, “Izmir - Visual Notes from the Ruins” and concentrate, in series encompassing different cultural regions, on Anatolian Civilizations - Intercultural; Anatolian Civilizations - Cultural Environment; Anatolian Civilizations - Cultural Logos; and Anatolian Civilizations - Cultural Remains. Produced during this process, his work includes contemporary interpretations and artistic solutions using both artistic and extra-artistic elements and has been entered in many national and international exhibitions, biennales, triennials, art fairs, and museum exhibitions. He has received awards in many competitions, both national and international, including the gold medal First Prize at the Bulgaria 1st International Modern Art Festival - “process-space”. His works are held in various museums and collections. Besides two books on Turkish art and artists and articles in catalogues, Akdeniz has written many scholarly publications, research writings, papers, and articles.

Halil Akdeniz is also member of the UNESCO-AIAP International Association for the Plastic Arts and served as Chair of its Turkish National Committee, Representation in Ankara for a time. He is member of the UNESCO-AICA International Association of Art Critics, founding member of the Turkish National Committee of AICA, and was granted honorary citizenship and is honorary member of Art Academy Münster.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

• 2002Artist Art Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2002Siyah-Beyaz Art Gallery, Ankara, Turkey
• 2000Turkish Cultural Center, Berlin, Germany
• 1996Auswaertiges Amt Aus- und Fortbildugnsstaette, Bonn, Germany
• 1993Siyah-Beyaz Art Gallery, Ankara, Turkey
• 1990BM Art Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
• 1988Beymen/Bedesten Art Gallery, Ankara, Turkey
• 1988Anadolu University, “Palet” Art Gallery, Eskişehir, Turkey
• 1987Urart Art Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
• 1975State Fine Arts Gallery, Ankara, Turkey

Selected Awards

• 2003

Eskişehir Art Association, “Eskişehir Art Award” for founding the Department of Art Sciences - a first in Turkey - at the Anadolu University, and starting the Program in Fine Arts Theory and Criticism

• 2002Ankara Art Association, “Artist of the Year”
• 2002Gazi University, 75th Year in Education “Honorary Plaque”
• 19921st International Modern Art Festival, Bulgaria, “Gold Medal First Prize”
• 19913rd International Yunus Emre Painting Competition, “Award in Painting”
• 1990PTT 150th Anniversary Plastic Arts Competition, “Award in Painting”
• 1988Ankara Art Association, “Artist of the Year”
• 1988TP Atatürk Painting Competition, “First Prize for Painting”
• 198519th DYO Painting Competition, “Award in Painting”
• 1984Viking Co. Exhibition of Printmaking, “Award in Printmaking”
• 198243rd State Painting and Sculpture Exhibition, “Award in Painting”
• 197536th State Painting and Sculpture Exhibition, “Award in Painting”

Selected National and International Exhibitions, Biennales, Triennales, Festivals, and Art Fairs

• 2006

Art-Fiction, Beşiktaş Çağdaş, Beşiktaş Belediyesi Sanat Galerisi (Beşiktaş Municipality Art Gallery), Istanbul

• 2006-05-03 Middle East Technical University Fine Art Festival, Fine Arts Exhibition, Ankara
• 2003Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, opening exhibition of the museum-collection, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2004

Marmara University, Atatürk Faculty of Education, Education Congress, international “Transformation” Exhibition, Military Museum, Istanbul, Turkey

• 2003Art at Akmerkez, Akmerkez Shopping Center, Istanbul
• 2003Siyah-Beyaz Art Gallery; 20th Year Exhibitions, Ankara-Istanbul, Turkey
• 200212th International Art Fair Istanbul Artist, Akdeniz Art Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
• 20022nd Art Fair-ANKART, Akdeniz Art Gallery, Ankara, Turkey
• 200110th International Modern Art Festival “Change of Identity”, Rousse, Bulgaria
• 1998Abstract Trends in Turkish Painting (Curator: Yahşi Baraz), IAKM, Istanbul
• 1997Group Exhibition “Begegnungen” Landesmuseum Volk und Wirtschaft, Dusseldorf, Germany
• 199731st International Modern Art Fair, ART COLOGNE, Inge Baecker Art Gallery, Köln, Germany
• 1996International Sofia Painting Triennial, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 19922nd Art Festival, FY Art Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
• 1992

“Remembrance / Memory” Exhibition-1, (Curator: Vasıf Kortun), Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Taksim Fine Arts Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey

• 1991“Highlights - (III)” of Living Turkish Art, Mars Art Gallery, Moscow
• 1989-90 The Grand Exhibition I-II, Istanbul-Ankara, Turkey
• 19892nd International Istanbul Art Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey
• 1988“Highlights - (II)” of Living Turkish Art, The Hague, Netherlands
• 1986“Contemporary Turkish Painting”, Budapest, Hungary
• 1986

“A Different Art / Group Performance-Exhibition”: In Memory of Joseph Beuys, German Cultural Center, Izmir, Turkey

• 1985“Arta Turca”, Bucharest, Romania
• 19842nd Viking Co. Prize Print Exhibition, Izmir-Istanbul-Ankara, Turkey
• 1983“2nd Balkan Biennial”, Bucharest, Romania
• 1983

“Le Peinture en Turquie”, French Embassy, Ankara, Turkey in honor of the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Turkish Republic, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism Exhibitions Abroad; Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary

• 1983

18th Art Exhibition of the European Council: Anatolian Civilizations “Exhibition of Contemporary Turkish Painting”, Istanbul, Turkey

• 1977Istanbul Art Festival, “New Directions” Exhibition, Istanbul, Turkey
• 1975-92DYO Painting Competition exhibitions (9th, 11th, 12th, 16th, 17th, 19th), Izmir, Turkey
• 1971-74F. Berliner Kunstausstellungen (Ist, IInd, IIIth, IVth FBK), Berlin, Germany
• 1965-89State Painting and Sculpture Exhibitions (26th, 29th, 36th, 39th, 41st, 43rd), Ankara, Turkey
• 1962UNESCO, “Lives of Peoples of the World” Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan

Projects

1. Publication Projects
   • Enlem-80 Publishing House, Editor and Art Director of Series on Contemporary Turkish Plastic Arts, Ankara 1994-1995
   • Art Collection of the Central Bank of Turkey, editor, coordinator and art director of prestige books/catalogues, Ankara 2003-2004
2. Exhibition Projects

1- Exhibition projects carried out individually or in collaboration with institutions while he was serving as cultural adviser in the Turkish Embassy in Germany:

• Exhibition of Contemporary Turkish Prints, Goethe Institute. Bonn, Germany, 1998
• Exhibition of Turkish Artists Living in Germany, “Art in the Residence”, Residence of the Turkish Ambassador to Bonn, 1999
• Young Turkish Artists Exhibition, within the framework of the Open Europe 2000 Ein Fest für ein offenes Europa, Turkish Cultural Center / House of World Cultures, Berlin, Germany, 2000
• Exhibition, “The Hittites and their Empire”, Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany and Gropius Haus, Berlin, Germany, 2001 Contemporary Turkish Art Exhibition “Turkish Art Today”, Kunstmuseum, Bonn, 2001
• Exhibition of Contemporary Turkish Women Artists, “Women Artists of Turkey”, Frauenmuseum, Bonn-Berlin, 2001
• “Art Fiction”, Beşiktaş Çağdaş, Beşiktaş Belediyesi Sanat Galerisi (Beşiktaş Municipality Art Gallery), Istanbul 2006

2-Exhibitions of the Art Collection of the Central Bank of Turkey in which he served as advisor or which he carried out on a project by project basis:

• Art Collection of the Central Bank of Turkey “Examples of the Art of Contemporary Turkish Painting” Exhibition, Anadolu University Contemporary Arts Museum, Eskişehir, Turkey, 2002
• Art Collection of the Central Bank of Turkey “Examples of the Art of Contemporary Turkish Painting” Exhibition, Central Bank of Turkey Art Gallery, Ankara, Turkey, 2002
• Art Collection of the Central Bank of Turkey “Examples of the Art of Contemporary Turkish Painting” Exhibition, Akdeniz University Art Gallery, Antalya, Turkey, 2002
• Exhibition of “Works Chosen from the Art Collection of the Central Bank of Turkey” within the framework of the 2003 Turkish Year in Japan, The Shoto Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan, 2003
• Exhibition of Works Chosen from the Art Collection of the Central Bank of Turkey,Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Cultural Center; Tophane-i Amire, Istanbul, 2005
2. Other

Other projects carried out in collaboration with institutions while he was serving as cultural adviser in the Turkish Embassy in Germany:

• Project for establishing dialogue and holding meetings among universities, academies and institutions of higher education giving art education in Turkey and Germany. He has initiated the project for establishing dialogue among institutions ranging from student and instructor exchange programs to the mutual artistic activities program, which is held biannually and still continues among Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts, Bilkent University and Anadolu University and Art Academy Münster and the University of Applied Sciences, Münster.