Exhibition Unable to Open After Banning Painting on Maraş Massacre

Artists withdrew their art pieces from “Nostalji 2014” group exhibition which was planned to hold on this Monday at Beyoğlu Art Gallery of Beyoğlu Municipality, upon the ban for “Maraş Katliamı” (Maraş Massacre) painting of Nursel Sökmen Bayram. The exhibition, finally, couldn’t be held.

According to Cumhuriyet newspaper, while the exhibition was organized by Dimitris Vogdanis Danis, Harris Louvras and Özlem Haliloğlu from Hardan Art Team, the painting “Maraş Katliamı” was banned by curator Haliloğlu.

The stated reason for the ban was as follows: “Since the painting is about the massacre, it shouldn’t be included to the exhibition in a such atmosphere and besides due to possible reaction of the mayor, it should be excluded from the exhibition.” 

“It’s simply a censorship,’ Bayram said. The withdrawal of all paintings of Bayram, the other artists withdrew their art pieces from the exhibition as well. So the exhibition couldn’t be held.

The art consultant of the Gallery Beste Gürsu declared that the exhibition was cancelled by its curator and the artists. Beyoğlu Municipality Press Agent told bianet that they transferred the exhibition to curators one and a half years ago, so they don’t have any information about the art pieces included to the exhibition.

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.