An incredible success and the happy organisers Buket, Özhan and Özfer Özatay

By Heidi Trautmann

When you do something with dedication and discipline you can succeed to follow the line of your dream, you will gain the respect of others and they will believe in you. A formula I strongly believe in and I want to apply it to the founders of the Öztan Özatay Foundation and the organiser of its yearly photo competition, the sixth this year. In the beginning, Buket said one day to me, nobody believed that any good photographer would join and hand in their work, but she has proven that it was a good and solid project and people started to trust her and when you look at the results now, the works that were exhibited in this year’s show, you must say: I take my hat off to you!

Buket is an excellent photographer herself and with great passion she observes the world, always attentive to catch a moment that is worth remembering.

This year’s competition saw a participation of 99 photographers with a total of 986 entries – just imagine the work it presented to the jury to select in the end 153 entries by 55 participants worthy of inclusion in the exhibition. The jury were: Ibrahim Zaman, Prof. Dr. Güler Ertan and Doc.Dr. Gökçe Keçeci Şekeroğlu – I reported in all details in my article No. 610 under Cyprus art news of my website www.heiditrautmann.com  in which also the names and the photos of the winners are listed.

Hundreds of visitors came to the opening of the exhibition at the Atatürk Cultural Centre, parking was hardly to be found, and quite a number of guests of honour had come to congratulate and speak on the importance of photography.  They were literally drowned in the sea of photographers and TV people, so I had very little chance to dive under their arms to take pictures myself of the award ceremony. Finally HE Dr. Derviş Eroğlu cut the ribbon with the help of the other guests of honour and the exhibition was open for us to slowly move down the corridors.

I will not show the photos of the winners again in my today’s review, they are shown in all newspapers and in my above link, but I want to show those of the other participants who have worked with the same enthusiasm for the project, have shown the same love of art photography as the winners.  My general impression was the very human touch in the pictures, the often properly obeyed laws of composition and the sensitivity of approach.  You can say a lot about art photography, many say it is not art, but in my opinion it is, as it has one main thing in common with fine art, that is the use of the senses, and a good photographer has them very sharpened. And, as Rüya Reşat, the artist that died so young of cancer, said to me one day: Art begins in the head and not at the tip of the brush! That is the pure truth.  

A good cause is closely connected with the foundation next to commemorating the photographer Öztan Özatay, who lost his fight against cancer, and promoting photography,  that is to embark on social responsibility, and thus the ‘Kemal Saracoglu Foundation for Children with Leukaemia and Fight Against Cancer’ is to receive a financial contribution just as every year. The entrance fee of TL 15 and 50% of the sale of pictures will go to this foundation.

As it is with all good and big projects, the help of others is required and in this event it was offered by the TRNC Presidency, the Ministry of Economy, Tourism, Culture and Sports and the Vice Presidency; the Municipalities of Gönyeli and Nicosia, the Denktaş Foundation and Serena Boutique, and also Golden Tulip Hotel where the jurors and the event of jury were hosted.

The exhibition is still open until March 29 at the Atatürk Cultural Centre in Nicosia, viewing times at official office hours, from 8.00 to 15.30, except Thursday until 18.00 hrs.