According to the press information provided by the Directorate of Press and Public Relations of the Near East University, the opening ceremony of the exhibition held in the Atatürk Culture and Congress Center Exhibition Hall was attended by the Minister of Economy and Energy Hasan Taçoy, Turkey's Nicosia Embassy Representative Kadir Akçeşme, Near East University Founding Rector, Dr. Suat İrfan Günsel, vice rectors, lecturers, guest artists and Mustafa Hastürk and his family.

At the opening ceremony of the exhibition consisting of artworks made by using oil painting, acrylic and print painting techniques, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ and Economy and Energy Minister Hasan Taçoy made a speech each.

Professor Dr. Şanlıdağ; “Life Philosophy, Freedom and Environmental Awareness are Reflected…”
Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlidağ who made the opening speech of the exhibition said that within the last 8 months, more than 50 exhibitions were held on campus, hundreds of artists created nearly 10 thousand works.

Vice Rector Şanlıdağ stated that, in addition to the Cyprus Museum of Modern Art, which is scheduled to open on November 15, 2020, 7 other museums including the Cyprus Car Museum, Herbarium and Natural History Museum, National History Museum, Maritime Museum, Knife and Sword Museum, will meet with the art lovers. Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ pointed out that Mustafa Hastürk, the Cypriot artist, expresses a philosophy of life, freedom and environmental sensitivity in his personal painting exhibition.

Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ also pointed out that within the scope of the Cyprus Modern Art Museum project, Alasia Awards are presented to the artists who left their mark in the arts in five fields: painting, print painting, photography, sculpture and ceramics, and Fergani Award would be presented to Mustafa Hastürk.

Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Sanlidag ended his speech emphasizing that the Near East University progressing in the fields of education, science, health, innovation and art is standing out as a global information center aiming to enter among the world's top 500 universities.

Minister Taçoy; “In order for art and culture to survive, these activities is a must...”
In his speech, Minister of Economy and Energy Hasan Taçoy stated that he participated in many exhibitions at the Near East University and expressed his great excitement to open the exhibition of the works of a friend who has a different place in his life.

Minister Taçoy said, " We first looked at the beauties that reflect Mustafa Hastürk's personal richness and then tried to understand what he was thinking while creating his artworks and made my own comments on them, and when I told him about the impressions of the artworks on me, he said "Everybody can have different opinions and understandings". I hereby would like to take this opportunity to express his sincerity and emotional grace. It is a different distinction and happiness for me to share the excitement of the opening of an exhibition where the works of my friend will be exhibited."

Minister Taçoy expressing that Hastürk's own inner richness and peace with his soul, his perspective on life can be seen in many ways in his artworks, emphasized that Hastürk made a transition for a moment from the environment we live in to a different environment, and both his perspective on his life, his creativity and his inner feelings were very much blended, and emphasized that he learned from Mustafa Hastürk how to continue his life journey by refreshing his soul and pulling his feelings into a different point.

Minister Taçoy said that the Near East University has taken steps in every field and that it has carried out studies to make it one of the world's 500 universities and that it has progressed by adding a different dedication to this quality. Taçoy said "One of these is the exhibitions opened by more than 700 artists. Tens of thousands of artworks. A great wealth. When the Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts is opened on November 15, 2020, it will host the artworks of 1500 artists. It's an admirable and applauding event. I congratulate everyone. I would like to thank Suat Hoca for taking us all from our own world for a moment and showing us how much our own spiritual wealth and creativity can reach. ”

Fergani Award presented…
Following the speeches, the Fergani Award was given to the artist Mustafa Hastürk by the Minister of Economy and Energy Hasan Taçoy in the field of painting within the scope of Alasya Awards. Then the bust of Mustafa Hastürk was opened by sculptor Nurlan Kebeek Uluğ.

Mustafa Hastürk: "I wanted to draw attention to the polluted environment, the destroyed nature and the destroyed green… ”
Speaking after the award presentation, the artist Mustafa Hastürk said that he has been working in the field of painting for more than 30 years and it is an important day for him. Hastürk said, with the participation of the Near East University family, art life gained an important momentum in terms of productivity, and the creation of the Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts excited and motivated artists like him.

Hastürk stated that the exhibition, which was created as part of the series of trees, which is one of the most recent works in the retrospective exhibition he opened earlier, refers to a poem of the great poet Nazım Hikmet and said "It is single and free like a tree. It's about getting me to live a brotherly life like a forest. That is to say, as a contemporary individual, to take an honorable stance against life, to have a unique idea and personality, to be sensitive to social issues and to be brotherly in matters related to society.”

Mustafa Hastürk expressed that the tree is the most beautiful symbol of staying alive in all conditions, holding firmly to the soil and taking root, being productive and maintaining its generation and is the source of life for us, and that the destruction of the tree means the destruction of life and humanity. He said his aim was to give a voice to the destroyed nature and the destroyed green.Hastürk also stated that emotion is at the forefront in abstract expressionist paintings and explained that trees in different numbers of colors and shapes try to give them a message while describing them metaphorically.

Exhibition Ribbon Cut…
Then the exhibition ribbon was cut and the opening of the exhibition was realized. Mustafa Hastürk's Solo Painting Exhibition “Living Like a Tree…" can be visited at Atatürk Culture and Congress Center Exhibition Hall between the hours of 08.00-17.00 during the week.