BÜYÜKÜNAL ING
DEVABİL KARA
Throughout history,societies have established national identities through the works of their authors,philosophers,scientists,artists and sculptors.Such a strong cultural heritage gives people of today the opportunity to relate easily to the worlds of science and art. Across the globe, artists reflect the world we live in, whether it be images from history or tecnological devolopments.The same applies to artists of our own country. Our artists who have succeeded in assimilating the works of Anatolian Civilizations play a major role in the relationship between past/future. In all areas of representational art the artists acts selectively. Before presenting work to audience,the artist brings his entire personal background, and his private world of visual images to the piece. Abstrac art creates a different relationship between artist/audience,as in the works of Devabil Kara who began painting in 1982. In his post-univesity works, including canvas and prints, Kara’s experimental style comes to the forefont.The exciting range of colours, rich textures and geometrical precision encapsulate the intelligence that an artist of today should possess.The works of Devabil Kara are an adventurous journey,becoming both deeper and simpler as you progress. The works of Devabil Kara, from the beginning full of colour and rich technical detail, appear in this exhibition to be much simpler. The colour, the form and the geometry in his works still exist, but his new compositions show a movement towards simple and bold colour stains. Is it possiple for an artist not to strive for symbolism?In this exhibition Kara introduces into his pictures the image of a ladder,a symbol of reaching between past and future. This simple wooden ladder appears blue, yellow and green; it is added to the works as an after-thought, reflecting a new atchitectural perspective on the artistic canvas. The shadow of a barely-visible chair is reflected on the thickened surfaces of paint, showing the relationship, it all hinges on affection, perhaps passion, perhaps love. On another canvas, the ladder is expressed through the destruction of the other shapes; the work reflects a breaking apart. When I look at the works of Devabil Kara, it is easy to see how the young artist is impressed by technology. Many codes appear on the objects he depicts: in an era where it is becoming acceptable to encode individuals, why not extend this to objects in art? Here, modern art brings a richness to those creative artists who are prepared to use their imagination. Devabil Kara, an artist who produces works strong in colour, form, construction and balance, is a major artist whose reputation is certain to exceed the frotiers of Turkey. I wish his every success with his future works and exhibitions.
Feriha Büyükünal
