I am a contemporary artist. Whatever my topic is, pain and suffering, whether it’s a sculpture, a video, a photograph, or a film, I use it.
Taylan Mintas
The exhibition is going on the terrace of the Ismail Besikci Foundation.
This exhibition came into existence after two years of work by artist Taylan Mintas, who has prepared a work on Ahmed Khan (Ehmedê Xanî).
The artist Mintas graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Marmara University and also holds a master’s degree in Plastic Arts from the Yildiz Technical University.
Mintas creates works in many different fields of art; he creates sculptures, videos, installations, and photographs.
There is a film called Brother of Silence (2017) and 3 short films that he directed. He has also prepared the documentary about Syrian Astronauts for The Guardian newspaper.
We spoke with artist Taylan Mintas about his exhibition on Ahmad Khani.
“I am a contemporary artist”
Mintas informed us that he is a contemporary artist, and he shows this in the products he creates in various fields;
“Khani is home for the Kurdish language”
I have been working on this exhibition for almost two years, after that I want to go on with a series of Kurdish pundits; Feqiye Teyran, Melaye Ciziri and others.
He has made a great contribution to the Kurdish language. As we know, the name of Khani is the second name and the name of his village. Khani (Xanî) means home in Kurdish so, thanks to his contribution, he is a home for the Kurdish language.
Former Kurdish pundits
When I was a child, this photo hung on the wall in our house, except for our elders there weren’t photos. As a former elder of Kurds, only he was there. That photo had a big impact on me.
I want to tell that all our Kurdish families should put pictures, statues, or something else in their houses. This is something very special and I believe that such actions in Kurdish families will have an impact on all Kurdish children.
The exhibition opened with a speech of Ismail Besikci, Ibrahim Gurbuz, and our curator about Ahmed Khani. Afterward, the writer Nihat Gultekin gave a panel to discuss the Ahmad Khani Calendar.
“A message for Khani”
There is a table for people who want to write a message for Khani.
There are many messages of Khani and each of them has a unique meaning. Because of this, I wanted people who receive these messages, to write something to him. Also, this is both a metaphorical and metaphysical thing; I left 70 percent of the table empty for people. I just made a portrait of him on it.
The exhibition is on view at the Ismail Besikci Foundation until June 6.
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