ABOUT BELKIS BALPINAR
Belkis Balpinar has pioneered the art form called "artkilim" wall hangings, she uses the age-old kilim structure to create works of art since 1986. While most of her one-of-a-kind pieces are woven for exhibitions, Belkis Balpinar also undertakes site-specific and special corporate art commissions. She was commissioned to create an artkilim for the entrance walls of the World Bank Building in Washington DC and the Aramco Center in Dhahran-Saudi Arabia and as well as 80 pieces for the Marmara-Manhattan Hotel in New York and some private commissioners. Belkis Balpinar has held exhibitions in İstanbul, Ankara, New York, Princeton, Washington DC, Stockholm, Caracas, Milan, Tokyo, Lublijana, Moscow and Bahrain she also has participated ingroup exhibitions. Some of her pieces have been displayed at the Modernist Exhibition in New York City and at the Basel Art Fair in Miami by Galleria Nilufar from Milan. Some Private Collections: Miuccia Prada - Milan, World Bank - Washington D.C. Bernard Chappard - New York - Caracas, Lary Sanitzky - Los Angeles, Economy Bank - Istanbul, Nilufar Gallery - Milan, Marmara Manhattan Hotel - New York, Ignazio Vok - Padova, Al Gore - Nashville. Since 2006 she lives and works in Bodrum Turkey.
RELATIVE VIEWPOINT
Belkıs Balpınar creates contemporary art products by reflecting the rug texture to her works. The world-famous artist reveals her distinctive style with the rug patterns she created, as well as the classic rug patterns. Balpınar, who has recently focused on felt works, will exhibit her felt works for the first time in this exhibition. Balpınar calls his style "art-kilim".
Belkis Balpinar's Artistic Perspective
Belkıs Balpınar turned to painting after working as a museum and art history researcher for many years. Believing that in order to use a traditional handicraft in a contemporary way, it is necessary to go beyond traditional forms, the artist believes that it is not enough to apply traditional motifs with different versions: “Traditional rugs carry motifs and symbols passed down from generation to generation. I, on the other hand, as someone who lives in a metropolis in the 21st century and has been to many countries of the world, and as a 'global entity' who can follow what is happening in the world from broadcasts, media and computers, I am under the attack of images and information. I try to find the ones that are unique to me from all these and try to express them with the texture of the rug.” The artist, who has been following publications on modern physics, space and genetic research such as quantum, chaos, coincidence, string and black hole theories in recent years, tries to create his own philosophy about the meaning of life. The artist says that this interest in different fields is reflected in her works: “I try to show different planes that our eyes do not notice at first glance. In other words, I am trying to show the form in which objects can be seen when viewed from another point or points, not from where we are. I want to emphasize that what we see can be in other ways than what we perceive. Of course, I don't use the figures of 'objects' we know to show these different planes or dimensions."
Who is Belkis Balpinar?
Belkıs Balpınar graduated from Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts, Textile Department in 1963, and worked as a carpet designer between 1963-68. Between 1968 and 1973, he served as the “curator” of the Istanbul Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, Carpet and Rug Department, Foundations Carpet and Kilim Museum. In 1986, Modern-Kilim started its design and production activities. In 1993-1996, she gave lectures on carpets and rugs at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Marmara University. Balpınar has books and articles published in different languages on Turkish carpets and kilims. The artist is also one of the founders of the Wildlife Conservation Association, WWF Turkey, and the Friends of Çatalhöyük Association.
Belkis Balpinar and Her Works
The artist, who has exhibited at the Istanbul Milli Re Art Gallery and Bodrum Castle in Turkey, also took part with her works in the international “Earth and Fiber” exhibition held at the Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum. Balpınar, who has exhibited in galleries in various world cities such as Istanbul, Stockholm, Caracas, Milan and Tokyo, has appeared in many local and foreign publications with her works. The "Cartier Art" magazine, which was started to be published by the Cartier company in 5 languages and in half a million copies at the end of 2001, devoted 10 pages to Balpınar's works in its first issue. The artist is featured in the book named 'Design Through Discovery', which was published in 1993 and is also used as a supplementary textbook in American colleges.
Belkıs Balpınar, who creates contemporary art products using the texture of kilim, has started to open up to the world in recent years. In 2001, she had a 150x400 cm work chosen by the art curator applied for one of the Worldbank 'World Bank' headquarters in Washington, now it continues to be exhibited on the entrance wall of the H building. 'Fine Living' Television Network, which has forty million subscribers in the USA, will broadcast a half-hour program about Belkıs Balpınar's work in November.
Belkıs Balpınar's works have entered private collections in many different countries, from Venezuela to New Zealand. Among the collectors who own the works of the artist are Miuccia Prada, owner of the "Prada" fashion company, film directors Bob Rafelson, Larry Sanitzky, New York art collector Bernard Chappard, well-known antique collector Ignazio Wok. Two pieces of the artist's work are exhibited at the branches of the Turkish Economy Bank in Turkey. Finally, Aramco Petrolleri hung his 230 x 330 piece on the entrance wall of the newly constructed headquarters in Dharan.