Hakan Gürsoytrak
By Vasif Kortun, “From Nowhere” Exhibition Catalogue

Most of Hakan Gürsoytrak’s paintings seem to be taken from photos ineptly shot and shabbily framed. The sides of the paintings finished sometimes with framing lines, sometimes left empty signify a haphazard genesis.Works created by obscure, worn grey tones and stubby brush jabs, not fully finished similar to what they portray, one on top of another. There is no narration to monumentalise in what is portrayed and the canvases are portable by hand. Their fabric is old and the oil color has sank in the fabric and made the surface barren. There are provisional additions like plaster marks that take years to clean by scraping from new buildings.

The world depicted by Gürsoytrak is between rural and urban, an untidy waste land, a spontaneous formation without an owner. Every place are full of depressed men who suffer from an irreversible mutation. They are casting about, idling about and cluster around an ugly table arrangement. It is not possible to discriminate a person among them, to slip out the crowd and to save his image in your memory, the structure of the painting does not permit this. They evade a hard and distanced stand by the proximity of the painting’s closeness to the viewer and humorousity of their themes. They are in a fatalistic acceptance. This is because one of the artist’s bracing points is connected to the tradition of critical comic strip in Turkey. Gürsoytrak is after a style of painting that is reciprocal with a strange half urbanisation peculiar to there.

Images and text courtesy of Eczacibasi Virtual Museum

HAKAN GÜRSOYTRAK

1963 – Born in Ankara, Turkey

Education

1997 – He is working as Asistant Professor in Anadolu University Fine Art Faculty (A.Ü.G.S.F.) Painting Department.
1994/96 – Completed in Anadolu University Social Sciences Institute his Master of Art Program.
1991/93 – Took (MFA) degree from The University of Reading, Department of Fine Art and finished his graduate education.
1984/90 – Graduated from Mimar Sinan University Fine Art Faculty(M.S.Ü.G.S.F.) Painting Department Licence Program.
1980/84 – Graduated from Marmara University Economics and Management Faculty Public Management Department Licence Program.

Personal Exhibitions

2002 – “Toka” Exhibition of Pose Pictures, Türkiye Is Bank Parmakkapi Art Gallery, Istanbul
2001 – “Hir”, Tesvikiye Art Gallery, Istanbul
2000 – Eskisehir.net Virtual Exhibition
1999 – “Kösk”, Tesvikiye Art Gallery, Istanbul
1996 – Palet Art Gallery, Eskisehir

Foreign Country Exhibitions

2000 – Centrum Beeldende Kunst, Leiden, Hollanda
2000 – Artotheek, Schiedam, Hollanda
1999 – Centrum Beeldende Kunst, Dordrecht, Hollanda
1998 – ExpozitiePainting Exhibition, Moldova

1993 – Optional Orange, Department of Fine Art University of Reading, MFA
1993 – Turkish ve Cypriot Artists Group Painting Exhibition, Londra
1993 – Department of Fine Art, University of Reading Degree Show
1993 – Cubitt Street Gallery (Londra)
1992 – Contemporary Painters, Work from the University of Reading Department of Fine Art

Group Paintings

2000 – “Real Excavation” Exhibition, A.U. Library Documentation Center Exhibition Hall, Eskisehir
2000 – Excavation Exhibition, Sanart 4 th International Exhibition and Art Activity “Art and Science” ODTÜ Culture and Congress Center, Ankara
2000 – Excavation Exhibition, GöremeArt and Artisanal Products Gallery, Nevsehir
2000 – “Treacherous Nights”, Excavation Group Exhibition, Asmali Mescit Minare St. Nur Apt. Beyoglu/Istanbul
1999 – “Super Excavation” Sergisi, Elhamra Art Gallery, Istanbul
1997 – “Excavation III” AKM, Istanbul
1996 – “Excavation” Painting Exhibition, Kare Art Gallery, Istanbul
1996 – “Excavation II” Passion Art Center, Istanbul

Competition Exhibitions

1995 – A.Ü.G.S.F. 10th Year Avtivities Painting Competition
1995 – 56. State Painting and Sculpture Exhibition, State Painting Competition

Karma Sergiler

2001 – A.Ü: Resim Bölümü Ögretim elemanlari Sergisi, Büyüksehir Belediyesi sanat galerisi, Izmit
2001 – “Yunus Emre’ye Saygi1 A.Ü.G.S.F. Resim Bölümü Ögretim Elemanlari Sergisi, Kütüphane Dökümantasyon Sergi Salonu, Eskisehir
2001 – Tesvikiye Sanat Galerisi
2000 – Yunus Emre Kültür ve Sanat Haftasi, AiÜ. Kütüphane Merkezi sergi salonu, Eskisehir
2000 – Tesvikiye 15 Yil, Tesvikiye Sanat Galerisi, Istanbul
2000 – Resim Bölümü Elemanlari Sergisi, Adnan Franko, Izmir
2000 – Karma Sergi, Scala Galerisi, Eskisehir

1999 – Resim Heykel Müzesi, Izmir
1999 – 25 Sanatçi, Tesvikiye Sanat Galerisi, Istanbul
1999 – Art Shop Sanat Galerisi, Izmir
1999 – Istanbul Sanat Fuari, “Taraftar” Sergisi, Tesvikiye Sanat Galerisi
1998 – Drawing Exhibition, Passion Art Gallery, Istanbul
1998 – Mayis Sergisi, Passion Sanat Galerisi, Istanbul
1998 – Resim Bölümü Ögretim Elemanlari Sergisi, Vakifbank Galerisi, GOP, Ankara
1998 – ODTÜ Mustafa Parlar Vakfi Sanat Galerisi, Ankara
1998 – Istanbul Sanat Fuari
1998 – A.Ü.G.S.F. Ögretim Elemanlari Karma Sergisi, Kütüphane Sergi Salonu, Eskisehir
1997 – A Look at Yesilçam, Reform Art Gallery, Istanbul
1997 – “Kazliçesme”, Derimod Art Center, Istanbul
1995 – Group Painting Exhibition, A.U. Congress Center, Eskisehir
1995 – Painting Department Faculty Members Exhibition, A.U.G.S.F., Palet Art Gallery, Eskisehir
1994 – Homage to Atatürk, Faculty Members Exhibition, A.U.G.S.F.Exhibition Hall, Eskisehir
1990 – Kazim Taskent Art Gallery, Istanbul
1990 – Vakifbank SanatArt Gallery, Istanbul
1989 - Mimar Sinan University Student Group Exhibition