Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Istanbul London? Yeah!

NPP took a taste of Turkey to London under the title of:

PEACE AT HOME
PEACE IN THE WORLD

9 Adam Street, The Strand, London WC1
www.adamstreet.co.uk
28 Jan – 11 Feb 2006

As well as paintings, the taste included Cikolatı Lokum from The Marmara Pera hotel and Kurukahveci Mehmet Effendi Turkish coffee. SETUR arranged the flights to and from London. We also flew a live Mevlevi to spin for our guests.

Photography by Abdulkadir Besikci & NPP.

According to the story Noah’s Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat in present day Eastern Turkey. The dove, olive branch and 7 colours of the rainbow signalled the end of the great flood.

The whirling dervish movement was founded in Konya, Central Turkey by Jelaleddin Mevlana Rumi (1207-1273). He proclaimed love as the dynamic force and his Sema dance represents the mystical journey of people’s spiritual ascent through mind and love to perfection. There are 7 parts to the Sema ceremony, the 7th part being a prayer for the repose of the souls of all prophets and believers. According to Rumi, love is the positive energy that is responsible for interaction between particles, thus connecting everything with everything else in the universe. So everything in the universe is interdependent.

The secular democratic Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 consisting of 7 internal regions and touched by 7 bordering countries: Greece, Bulgaria, Armenia, Georgia, Syria, Iran and Iraq.

To create awareness for the Rainbow Bridge peace project and its related 7 synergy, on Tuesday 7th February at 7pm a Mevalana “Whirling Dervish” turned at Adam Street Club in a meditation and philosophy of peace, announcing the message:

“Come, come who ever you are, however you are, just come.”

The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, left the country with a standard-bearer slogan for the nation: PEACE AT HOME, PEACE IN THE WORLD.

We didn't expect world peace to break out over night, but every little drop helps make an ocean. NPP hoped visitors learnt a little bit more about Turkiye and the messages of peace originating from a country where East meets West.

The invitation

Xmas Card e-mail to Adam Street members

Brian Sewell? Yeah!

Ned & Brian Sewell, art critic for London's Evening Standard newspaper.
Brian says Ned has a "painterly" style.

Standing in The Strand.

Steve Swales, head sculptor at Madame Tusaud's.

From Istanbul to London, our Adam Street Dervis, Selcuk Gurez.

Mum.

Dad.

Ned with Tolga Tuyluoglu, Turkey's Cultural Attache in London

Our sponsors: The Marmara? Yeah! SETUR? Yeah!
Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi? Yeah!
DHL? No comment.

Adam Street Members Club - the gallery...


Adam Street Members Club - the front door entrance.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

2006 Adam Street Paintings

PEACE AT HOME
PEACE IN THE WORLD

YURTTA SULH, CIHANDA SULH

A Turkish History Story
Istanbul 2006 acrylic on canvas 100cm x 175cm


Winston Churchill
Istanbul 2005 acrylic on canvas 100cm x 70cm

"Ataturk's death is not only a loss for the country, but for Europe is the greatest loss, he who saved Turkey in the war and who revived a new the Turkish nation after the war. The sincere tears shed after him by all classes of people is nothing other than an appropriate manifestation to this great hero and modern Turkey's Ata."
Winston Churchill, Prime Minister UK


Adam Street Ataturk Smiles
Istanbul 2006 acrylic on canvas 100cm x 70cm

“Freedom consists of man’s ability to do what he thinks and desires without any influence or intervention by others. This is the broadest definition of the concept. Mankind has never attained liberty to this extent and never will because as is known, men are creations of nature and nature itself is not absolutely free either; it is subject to universal laws.”
Ataturk c.1930


Abi, cay molasi? II
Istanbul 2006 acrylic on canvas 100cm x 70cm


Rainbow Bar Code Dervis
Istanbul 2006 acrylic on canvas 100cm x 78cm


Where East Meets West: London Istanbul? Yeah! III
Istanbul 2006 acrylic on canvas 100cm x 175cm


Ying Yang Dervis
Istanbul 2006 acrylic on canvas 100cm x 78cm


Gol? Yeah!
Istanbul 2003 acrylic on canvas 100cm x 175cm


Big Blue Nazarboncugu
Istanbul 2005 acrylic on canvas 107cm x 100cm


Bosphorus Kiss in Red
Istanbul 2005 acrylic on canvas 107cm x 100cm


Ataturk's Vision
Istanbul 2006 acrylic on canvas 107cm x 100cm


The Sultan's Sign in White
Istanbul 2006 acrylic on canvas 107cm x 100cm


Turkish Figures II
Istanbul 2006 acrylic on canvas 100cm x 175cm


Noel Baba
Istanbul 2005 acrylic on canvas 100cm x 70cm