By Heidi Trautmann
The other day I thought I must call Güner Pir and ask
about his work, it is some time ago that he had his last exhibition. Usually it
is all three or four years, that is the time it takes Güner to finish a
painting project. And hardly had I finished thinking, the present invitation
comes in. What an interesting title …history and stories on the basis of
stamps, painted stamps, Cypriot past. Güner Pir does intensive research for all
his projects, be it crime or prostitution or wedding ceremonies, always
connected with symbols of a certain era and the most beautifully painted
calligraphy.
I will go to the opening evening and will bring back
pictures for you to see. However to see paintings in the original is the true
thing, a photo can never produce the same impression as a personally
experienced one. The size and the brilliance of colour, you can go close and
study the brush work.
The exhibition is open daily except Saturdays and Sundays and viewing times are at official
govenrmental office hours.
Please find hereunder my review of Güner Pir’s last
exhibitions. If you want to see pictures you must go to my website.
Nov 18 - 25 - Doors to our past – Art
Exhibition by Güner Pir at the Eaved House/Sacakli Ev, Nicosia
11/8/2011
By Heidi Trautmann
Güner Pir has chosen the ageing of time as the title
of his exhibition; ageing as the process of centuries passing, the ‘skin’ of
wood, the grain of wooden planks used for the manufacture of doors, Cypriot
doors, and on these doors he has engraved the passing of time, the symbols of
ages back, fertility symbols of the bronze ages, patterns of Cypriot window
frames, the fragrant pattern of Lusignan architecture as a reflection.
Reflections. These doors open up to show stories of our past. Güner Pir is
painting on wood for the first time. It is symbolic. In this new exhibition
after five years of intensive work, he will show us 27 paintings
altogether, on door panels and on canvas.
When Güner Pir had concluded his last exhibition
“Bendolar” in 2007, he had some afterthoughts about the theme:
Bendolar, the wedding gift a young woman received for her wedding, when
women did not go out and earn their own living, it was their capital, their
treasure, it gave them some independence and a security to her mind. We had
intensively talked about the project. These afterthoughts are the binding
element to his exhibition of today, of 2011.
From here he goes to an important part of Cypriot
history, not often talked about any more, that is the 2nd world
war when Cypriots, Turkish and Greek alike, went to fight for the British, they
were Cypriots then, brothers and friends and not enemies; on a memorial in
Nicosia the Turkish and Greek names of the fallen soldiers can be found next to
each other.
Other stories of the past he has uncovered, crimes and
political killings for which he had done a lot of research work, the official
announcements and the clothes of that time are authentic. Also the sale of
girls as slaves by the Cypriot families, and finally the emigration of Cypriots
to London and other Commonwealth countries are landmarks in this exhibition.
There is one series of paintings he calls ‘Verses’
touching me very much, which include poems by Neriman Cahit and Fikret Demirag,
poets he admires, and so do I.
Güner Pir has stayed true to his principles, that is
the high quality of canvas structure and the use of figures as transmitting
media, his signature as he calls it himself; he had this wish to unroll and
record his country’s historic events together with the values and symbols that
go with them.
Güner Pir was born in Paphos in 1949. He graduated
from Gazi University in Ankara in 1972 and has since then held several solo
exhibitions and has participated in many mixed local and international
exhibitions.
The exhibition at the Eaved House in Nicosia, will be
opened on Friday, the 18th of November at 18.00 hrs. and
is open for viewing from November 19 until November 25.
Viewing times 10.00 hrs to 16.00 hrs
on Saturday from 10.00 - 13.00 hrs.
I will report on the exhibition fully after the
opening.