MUSTAFA AYKURT'S “THE IMITATION OF POWER” EXHIBITION AT MERKUR 

Mustafa Aykurt's first exhibition in Istanbul called "The Imitation of Power" opens at MERKUR on Saturday, May 06, 2023...

 

In the evolutionary development of humanity, the most important skill was the ability to imitate. This was a phenomenon that manifested itself in mankind’s entire culture, from toys to games, from clothes to accessories, from war tools to flags, from epics to mythology and even art. The tendency to imitate, that is, to try to understand nature in its language, is like a reflection of the survival instinct. As man developed this ability of his, curiosity turned into search and then into discoveries. Realizing the power in nature, he sought ways to use it; when he witnessed the continuity of nature as it transformed, he discovered that this cycle was also within himself. He used this acquired power to protect himself, to drive away those that are not his kind, or to seize what he did not possess as well. The changing form of power in human hands for thousands of years and the evaluation of these changes through society is a questioning which is still ongoing. The artist experiences the imitation of power by means of the animal forms that he has assigned as the subject of his works.

 

After graduating from the Department of Sculpture at Marmara University, Mustafa Aykurt did his Master's Degree at the University of Tokyo and PhD Research at Kanazawa College of Arts.