“Flyting” (Poetic Dialogue/Exchange), the first art event of the new academic year at Near East University, featuring a selection of 50 works by 19 artist-academics, was opened to visitors at the GÜNSEL Art Museum, .
The Near East University Faculty of Fine Arts and Design has launched the first exhibition of the new academic year. The “Flyting” exhibition, which brings together works created by 19 artist-academics for the Cyprus Museum of Modern Art, is now open to the public at the GÜNSEL Art Museum. The exhibition includes a total of 50 works across the fields of painting, sculpture, ceramics, and printmaking, uniting diverse techniques and individual modes of expression. This selection of original works not only brings together varied perspectives within a single exhibition space but also highlights the diverse expressive possibilities of art.
Opening speeches at the exhibition, which was also attended by Prof. Dr. Remziye Terkan, a member of the Higher Education Planning, Evaluation, Accreditation and Coordination Council (YÖDAK), were delivered by Near East University Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design Prof. Erdal Aygenç, and the AI-based academic AI. Prof. Dux.
“It is invaluable for us to begin a new academic year with the unifying, thought-provoking, and inspiring power of art.”, said AI. Prof. Dux, as he began his speech. Dux said, “This year, an academic year awaits us where technology and art converge, creativity comes to life in new forms, and numerous innovations that will excite us all are featured. I believe that on this journey where art and technology intersect, we will witness very special experiences together.”
Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ: “We will continue to strengthen an environment where our students create freely, our academics pursue their work, and our university shares its accumulated knowledge with society.”
Stating that Near East University approaches the fields of science, technology, and art as an integrated whole, Near East University Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ said, “For us, a university is not merely a place where knowledge is produced, but also a place where art, creativity, and original thought come to life.” Noting that the success of universities cannot be measured solely by scientific publications, research, or international rankings, Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ emphasized the importance of the culture produced and the contribution made to society. Pointing out that this philosophy is tangibly reflected in the work of the Near East University Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ stated that the faculty’s academics offer their students the opportunity to experience creative processes while continuing their own artistic production.
Emphasizing that reaching the 486th exhibition under the auspices of the Cyprus Museum of Modern Art is a significant indicator of this approach to production, Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ stated that they operate with the philosophy of “not only preserving art but also leaving a new cultural heritage for the future by ensuring the continuity of artistic production.” Stating that they would continue to advance scientific research, technological development, and artistic production in tandem during the new academic year, Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ said, “Science and art, though employing different methods, draw sustenance from the same quest: to understand the world, to question it, and to contribute something new to it.”
Prof. Erdal Aygenç: “To love is our greatest freedom against all molds.”
Prof. Erdal Aygenç, Dean of the Near East University Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, noted that the “Flyting” (Dialogue/Exchange) exhibition creates a space for visual and intellectual dialogue by bringing together diverse artistic disciplines. “In the ‘Flyting’ exhibition, where color, form, texture, and various disciplines converse, clash, and ultimately unite, we gather around an emotion that serves as a common sanctuary for us all: love.”, said Prof. Aygenç, adding that the works featured in the exhibition approach this shared emotion through diverse modes of expression.
“To love is our greatest freedom in this world against all established molds; it is a form of purification that leads one to the profound treasures of solitude.”, Prof. Aygenç said, emphasizing that art possesses the power to exalt human dignity while making the inner world visible. Prof. Aygenç described the place of this emotion in human life as follows: “To love is to wash a heart, soiled by the rush of daily life, with rainwater; then to rinse it in the winds of sincerity and wrap it in the scent of oleaster blossoms.” Emphasizing that the works of the various artists brought together in the exhibition engage in an “Flyting”, a visual and intellectual dialogue, centered around a shared emotion, Prof. Aygenç stated that love serves as a form of resistance against the devastation wrought upon the human spirit by harsh conditions, complacency, and the routinization of habits. Describing love as “the most subtle, powerful, and ever-fresh form of resistance, a luminous sanctuary built from the beating of our hearts against the advancing black army of indifference.”, Prof. Aygenç remarked that art conveys this emotion to the viewer through diverse colors, forms, and textures.
Stating that “Love is, despite everything, the channel through which our voice flows most purely; it is the shared song of all languages, and indeed, the very silence of that quiet moment when all songs fall still.”, Prof. Aygenç emphasized that love is the supreme proof of our humanity.
Expressing his gratitude to Near East University Founding Rector Dr. Suat Günsel, Near East University Board of Trustees Chairman Prof. Dr. İrfan Suat Günsel, and the Günsel family, Prof. Aygenç congratulated the participating artists and the exhibition’s curator, Prof. Erdoğan Ergün. Prof. Aygenç concluded his remarks by inviting art lovers to explore the rich dialogue fostered by “Flyting” and to discover the artworks born of the artists’ inner worlds.
