By Heidi Trautmann

For some days in April there was a curtain of constant dust hanging over the campus of the Near East University, a visible sign of activities around the 4th AcademiADA.  150 students from 19 different Turkish universities plus the fine arts department at the NEU in Cyprus had come together and have worked like maniacs, I would say,  night and day more or less, as I was told.

At least in the sculpture section which was built up on the parking space opposite the library;

Last year’s event which I also visited and commented on in my website under No. 335 under art news, was more concentrated on ceramic art with the beautiful giant wheel now mounted on the outside wall of the library, and on painting, printing and art photography.

This year’s event had its main focus on sculpture, obviously. The works of the other disciplines were displayed at the Atatürk Cultural Centre where on April 10 the participants received their certificates and where the end of the workshop with the exhibition as finale was celebrated with a speech of appreciation by Prof. Dr. Uğurçan Akyüz, Dean of the Fine Arts Faculty to the guests and participants of the important art event.

In my personal opinion the painting section was weaker than last year, there were some nice graphic works, especially some stencil and spraying works I liked. The photography section was a series of portraits where people of all age groups were asked to hold a rough wooden frame in front of their faces which made the project in my eyes a little boring but perhaps it was meant this way to bring all down onto a common level. Unfortunately there was no information at all. I would have liked to know the leading teachers’ names and the title of the projects. There were some ceramic sculptures with the one or other good presentation; I loved the big circle of small ceramic cups, I would have liked to know the title of it.

Hikmet Uluçam, graphic design teacher at the Near East University, took me to the sculpting area with the works in stone finished in only five days I was told, as the blocks of travertine arrived  five days late. My respect and compliments. There were three metal sculptures which I liked but I did not meet the artists having done this work. But I was meeting the artists, teacher and students, some going for their master, who did this unbelievable task of cutting travertine into beautiful sculptures within five days. I had the opportunity to meet Prof. Dr. Mustafa Bulat from the Atatürk University, Dean of the Fine Arts Faculty who had founded the Department of Sculpture there. A fine man and artist. You can recognize his handwriting of teaching in all the works of the students who had done the six sculptures. You will find more of his works on internet in his website.

Host and guests had all come down to the site of action to admire the statues without a cloud of dust and the artists without being covered in white all over. I was asking them if they had met with interest to go for sculpture in our local faculty and Mustafa Bulat answered jokingly: ‘I wonder after this one week of hard work.’

The sculptures will remain in Cyprus and will find its final position in front of the library. The exhibition is still open until 30 April.

More photos on my website.