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Continuing the Iznik Tradition Contemporary Blue-and-White: Turkish Ceramics by Mehmet Gürsoy and Nida Olçar

31 May 2018

(From left) Ribbon-cutting ceremony by Ministry of Tourism and Culture of the Republic of Turkey Aysun İmirgi, Artist Nida Olçar, Artist Mehmet Gürsoy, Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Hong Kong Korhan Kemik and UMAG Director Florian Knothe.

The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) will present Contemporary Blue-and-White: Turkish Ceramics by Mehmet Gürsoy and Nida Olçar from June 1 to August 19, 2018. Contemporary Blue-and-White exhibits forty ceramic works by two award-winning contemporary Turkish potters. Both artists work in a traditional İznik style that makes use of contemporary design elements. Mehmet Gürsoy was recognised as a UNESCO Living Human Treasure in 2010, while Nida Olçar, a much younger artist, has continued the renowned workshop and ceramic style of her late father Sıtkı Olçar, who received the same prestigious UNESCO award in 2008.

An opening ceremony of the exhibition was held at UMAG today (May 31). Officiating guests included

Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Hong Kong Korhan Kemik, Ministry of Tourism and Culture of the Republic of Turkey Aysun İmirgi, Artist Mehmet Gürsoy, Artist Nida Olçar and UMAG Director Florian Knothe.

İznik pottery is named after the town of İznik, where these finely decorated ceramics have been manufactured since the last quarter of the 15th century. Local craftsmen developed simple earthenware pottery into a more sophisticated manufacture of high-quality ceramics painted with cobalt blue patterns and coated with a colourless glaze.

This modern form of production developed under the patronage of the Ottoman court in Istanbul, which traded with China and greatly valued Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. Consequently, the iconography of İznik ceramics combined traditional Ottoman arabesque patterns with Chinese motifs. Today, contemporary artists remain true to traditional design sources by creating objects that relate to cultural exchanges from the time of the Ming dynasty.

For more images and captions of the exhibits, please click here.

Details of the Exhibition
Period: June 1, 2018 (Friday) to August 19, 2018 (Sunday)
Opening Hours:
09:30 – 18:00 (Monday to Saturday)
13:00 – 18:00 (Sunday)
Closed on University and Public Holidays
Venue: 2/F Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam
Tel/Email: (852) 2241 5500 (General Enquiry) / museum@hku.hk
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.umag.hku.hk/en/

Connect with UMAG on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umag.hku
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UMAG_HKU
Instagram: #TurkishCeramics, #MehmetGürsoy, #NidaOlçar, #UMAG
Weibo: @香港大學美術博物館UMAG

About University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong (UMAG)
UMAG was founded in 1953 as the Fung Ping Shan Museum. It was originally established as the Fung Ping Shan Library in 1932 in honour of its benefactor. For more information on UMAG, please click here.

Media enquiries
UMAG Senior Communications Officer Elena Cheung, Tel: (852) 2241 5512, Email: elenac@hku.hk
UMAG Programme Assistant Chelsea Choi, Tel: (852) 2241 5509, Email: cchelsea@hku.hk

Plate with golden horn pattern
Mehmet Gürsoy, İznik Çini, Kütahya 2017
Fritware, underglaze-painted
Diameter 30 cm
© Courtesy of Mehmet Gürsoy

Plate with ‘Piri Reis’ map design
Nida Olçar, Sıtkı Çini, Kütahya 2003 
Fritware, underglaze-painted
Diameter: 40 cm
© Courtesy of Nida Olçar

Tankard with medallions
Mehmet Gürsoy, İznik Çini, Kütahya 2017
Fritware, underglaze-painted
Height 22 cm
© Courtesy of Mehmet Gürsoy

Plate with tulips
Mehmet Gürsoy, İznik Çini, Kütahya 2017
Fritware, underglaze-painted
Diameter 40 cm
© Courtesy of Mehmet Gürsoy