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I come from Anatolia…
“The exhibition entitled “I come from Anatolia…” is composed of 21 paintings and sketches scribbled by Asli Kutluay during déjà vu’s, voyages and readings which all took place under the inspiration of female characters who have existed in Anatolia way back from the Paleolithic to the Modern Age. Luc Zwaenepoel a Belgian poet inspired by the paintings of Asli wrote poems on her paintings..
The exhibition will be displayed in 2010 in several important cities in Europe, Asia and America
Anatolia, being a region where a multicultural atmosphere has gradually developed throughout history, offers a meaningful synthesis of Western and Eastern cultures that have played a fundamental role in the evolution of humanity. Women and game took first place in prehistoric work of art. Over and above the fact that women and animals played a dominant role in that era, women bearing their fertile identity as those who ensure the continuation of life were regarded as an asset, the reproduction and sustainment of which was mostly stressed…
Not even the economic development that gradually took place in 8th or even 9th century B.C. as well as the related fundamental changes in lifestyle could change anything in terms of the significance of women’s role in society.
Understanding mortality and the ongoing circulation with childbirth led to the formation of religious sentiments. These sentiments were gradually transformed into conceptions through which they became the triggering component of paintings.

Mother Goddess 8500 – 7000 B.C.
“First came mothers…”
Statue of fertile goddess protected by the Leopard in Çatalhöyük
Leopard women your long last howling
For the moon, the stars and motherhoods.
Weeping in the trees and the bushes
You call my name, mother, mother, motherhood.
Turn your divine head and listen
Stoneless, agile, fertile pastures
Blowing the clay masks, repeating some words.
Holy, holy ancient power, do we call you goddess.
Gilgamesh has been rewritten lately,
But you lived through the ages
Dark shadow head, black night curse
Why Am I Afraid of your Leppards.
Luc Zwaenepoel

The Fishing One 6000 B.C.
“She was the one who harvested, hunted fishes and small animals for food”
First settlements arise with beginning of agriculture. Neolithic era may be accepted as the age when the mankind obtained humanity with all manufacturing types.
She was MaMa Earth,
Serving the fish, dancing,
Breastfeeding the child on the back
And breathless inspiring the Gods.
Her breast is poking fun
In the eyes of the Anadolean Master.
Invisible but always there.
His Nazar watching the Alien to come
But fish will be fish,
Swimming in no water,
Feeding out of the pond.
O mother, O mother.
Feed the young, smear your smile
On your face like an Anadolean Mona Lisa
ForEver
Luc Zwaenepoel

God’s Pharmacy 5000 B.C.
“ ‘She’ was taking care of infants, children and patients; knew how to heal diseases with healing herbs”
O mother being, who are you?
Throwing this baby into the world.
Floating with the fish in the underworld.
You freed him while suffering.
Are you all mothers in one,
Symbiosis of life and death?
A big mellow ripe breast,
Food and thoughts for this world?
Or are you God’s receipe for peace,
The last medicine from Gods pharmacy?
Here in Anatolia is the craddle.
Men and men equals one woman.
Luc Zwaenepoel

4. Sumerian Queen Inanna 3000 B.C.
According to Sumerian poets, Inanna was the ornament of society, the esprit of Sumer. She lived within the legends of various societies for centuries by having name of Ishtar in Akkad, Astarte in Jewish, Aphrodite in Greek and Venus in Rome.
Unnamed and unknown Queen Inanna
Innating the Sumer park of your ancesters
Hail the summerwinds glowing
Mounting the rolling hills in anatolia
Can we guess your destination
Or is your word will and slave the world
Take us home from far places
Heading towards long awaited peace all summerlong
Your name is unbridled happiness
Men and women embracing in short nights
The sumer solstice ripe for new life
And you share your breath to make a-living
Luc Zwaenepoel

5. The Flood and Noah’s Ark 4000- 2000 B.C.
Assessments made at mound sections on the areas of Birecik and Karkamis dams built over Firat were evidencing at least three big and severe floods between 4000 BC and 2000 BC.
According to religion books, Prophet Noah was born 1742 years after the death of Adam and lived 950 years. He was instructed by God to preach his people, but since no one believed him, he built an ark on age 500 for God’s order, gathered himself and his family, his three sons, their wife and with every type of animal, male and female, and so the Flood came, and it rained forty days and nights, and the water prevailed upon the earth for hundred and fifty days, after all life extinguished the ebb started until the Ark came to rest on the mountain (according to Old Testament this place is mountain of Ararat). The humanity was reproduced from three sons of Noah and the animals were reproduced from those taken to the Ark by Noah.
Fırat üzerine kurulan Birecik ve Karkamış barajlarının olduğu bölgede tepelik
Çek kürekleri, çek, çek Nuh
O en büyük dalgada dolaş ve dinle
Maymunlar ve kaplanlar, filler, yılanlar
Çift çift, yan yana, peki senin eşin ne yanda?
Ve fırtına dinince
Yağmur artık okyanusu dövmeyince
Güvercine bak, ve onun dönüşüne
Zeytin ağaçları yeşillenir, kuşlar yuvalanır
Ağrı dağı korunmuş gizini gösterir
Yerin altında var mı bir Atlantis
Yoksa yuttu mu onu kabaran deniz
Çek kürekleri, çek, çek Nuh
Luc Zwaenepoel

6. Hitit Queen “Puduhepa” 1300 B.C.
Half God half mother
You are not the little princess
With golden locked hair
Holding the earthenware candle
You screamed loudly
Let him live, let him live long lifes
O mistress lady of the land
Arinna Arinna
You are living in the Sun
Let your rays be not spared
Let King Hattusili live
Here are the heifers I offered
Make me stronger and
Hail to you Ramses,
Egypt is my fair ally
Let us live Arinna
İn peace and they lived long and happily
Luc Zwaenepoel

7. Helen of Troy 1000 B.C.
According to Greek Mythology, she was the most beautiful woman of the world causing the Trojan War. After ten years of happy marriage, Helen eloped with Paris the prince of Troy. Thereupon, her husband Menelaus goes to Troy with the largest Greek army in history.
La belle helene
Joliejolie toujours
Your eyes on the mirror
And men fighting wars
For your beauty
Come here and sit down
Tell me what you feel
And why this eye is sore
You have been beaten all along
Eat or be eaten
Is what Troje is all about
No no horse play please
Because I am still allergic
Luc Zwaenepoel

Cybele of Phrygia 600 B.C.
Frigya Kralının kızı Kibele (Kybele – Sibel), Attis isimli genç bir köylüye âşık oldu. Kral buna çok kızdı ve Attis’i öldürttü. Kibele onu canlandırdı ve hiç yaprağını dökmeyen “çam”ağacına çevirdi.
Kibele Kubaba Kumama
Büyük Ana neden bu kadar incesin?
Tanrıçaların anasının yükü
Dağlara, mağaralara, duvarlara yayılır.
Vahşi hayvanlarla dolu kale,
Bereketini yay ve kendini sar,
Ida dağının renklerine.
Ana Tanrıça
Kimsin ve neredensin
Anadolulunun anası mısın?
Yoksa sadece roma ve yunan mı
Kubaba Kubaba kumama
Kastratoların önünde eğiliyorum
Davulları ve kalkanları hareketlendiren,
Onlar erkek mi yoksa sadece senin mutant kızların mı?
Memeleri dolgun ana
Şimdi görüntün neden bu kadar bereketsiz
Devralan yaşlılık mı yoksa şehvet mi
Kibele Kubaba Kumama
Luc Zwaenepoel

Diana 550 B.C.
Roman equivalent of Diana, daughter of Zeus and Leto, also known as Phoebe, and twin sister of Apollo, goddess of forests and hills, hunt and moon. The temple dedicated to goddess Artemis completed around 550 BC at Ephesus.
Lady in blue
With your face as a haiku
Break open your dress
Show me your heart
Eternal hunting Diana
Run for the paparazi and smile
You are on canvas
İt only happens once
Rind, deer, eyes of the lynx
Dont hurt yourself
You are a goddes in the deepest
Part of your breast is moonlight
Luc Zwaenepoel

Gypsy Girl of Zeugma 400 A.C.
The most interesting mosaic makes the mark on Zeugma is a Maenad called ‘Gipsy Girl’ by visitors. The maddened girl dancing and playing tabor in Dionysus rites…From wherever you look at her, she watches you like Mona Lisa but with burning glance.
Flamenco dancer
Step by step
And then heavens
Take your invisible partner and move
Zeugma o zeugma
Your name means yoke
By now you must be old
But still burning
O princess god from Gaziantep
Let me be that shadow on the wall
The laurier behind my gypsy ears
And looking serious for once
Luc Zwaenepoel

Cappadocia- Potter 600 A.C.
In the middle of Central Anatolia, there you find Avanos on the pack trail of Aksaray – Gulsehir – Kayseri…That fertile soils mentioned in stories of many voyagers with “fascinating nature” irrigated by Cappadocia and Kizilirmak, bear footsteps of tens of cultural overlays from Hittites to Phrygia, Rome to Byzantium and Seljuk.
Cec tumulus which is one the biggest sepulchers of Anatolis indicates that the settlement traces goes back to Hittites and indigenous earthenware started with this civilization.
What is Anatolia without Cappodocia
Your first churches unearthed
Your Church fathers byzantiums proud
Strong fallus chimney searching the skies
Motherwarmth in the deepest of earth
Finding the way out as rainworms
Coming out to catch rains on their long heads
Sky free giant tooth dont grind
No ashes fall in Capadocia
But only thunder roared from one place to another
The gods blew the earth in artforms unseen
Gave a sense for new shelters and earth cages warm
Luc Zwaenepoel

Princess Destina 1200 A.C.
The princess, to whom Alaeddin Kayqubad fell in love during the siege of Kolonoros. Then renamed as Mahperi Hatun as the mother of Giyaseddin Kayqubad. There is a novel about her written by French author Gisele named “la Sultane Mahperi”.
My destination is far off
Casino royal, the dices on the table
The wheels of fortune are turning
And you hold the finger lightly
Destin is my name
İ am only a face in the distance
An eye even wide open
To keep you in sight
Do what I say
If not no go never
No way to get where you belong
I ll treat you with my divine will
Luc Zwaenepoel

Sufi 1300 A.D.
“There is another 'me' deep inside of myself”
Yunus Emre
Yunuz Emre was a Turkish mentor, a poet saint, born and lived at Central Anatolia region from middle of 13rd Century .
Derwish Rumi master
Born between Persian carpets
Turning your words in your head
Before rounding your toes around a nail
Turn baby turn
Sweet union with Allah
A prayer per walkabout
Shine your light in dark places
Have a fraction of sight
Marswallow of colours
Sufi make it round
And praise praise He who comes nearer
Luc Zwaenepoel

Layla and Majnun – Fuzuli 1500 A.D.
Fuzuli is a Turkish divan poet (1483-1556) Türk Divan Şairi
The forbidden love of Layla and Majnun.. Majnun prays to God where the prays are accepted to increase the love inside of him.
(My Lord), with desire of truth,
let I choose the way of metaphor,
let I reveal the secrets on the plea of telling stories… Let I begin to tell your designations by means of Layla and beg you through the mouth of Majnun by presenting my need to you… Fuzuli

Turhan Sultan (1627 – 1683)
She was enslaved by Kirim Tatarians, brought to İstanbul and given to Palace when she was 12 years old. She was Mother Sultan for 34 years which is the longest period of being this statue. She died in 1683 and her funeral was buried in the court of New Mosk which she had it completed by her own finance.

Ottoman Empire Tulip Period 1718 – 1730
Tulip Period is known as pleasure and enjoyment era of Ottoman Empire. It is named after tulip flowers grown in Istanbul and being well-known by the world in time. This period is included in the decline stage.

Florence Nightingale 1820 -1910
(1820-1910 Italy/Florence) Founder of modern nursing. In 1854, Selimiye Barracks in Uskudar she treated and cared the injured soldiers during Crimean War. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night to tend injured soldiers.
Lady with the lamp
Slowly gliding through glimmering hopes
İn sick wounded soldiers
İn their hours of pure misery
Crimean wars and in Scutari
Your impeccable white apron
And your hands clean and caring
Loosening the bandages staring at wounds
Ministering angel
No man could win your heart
Gave yourself to a divine task
Strong women power forever in shining lights
Luc Zwaenepoel

Asik Veysel’s Mother Gulizar 1894
While the mother Gulizar was going to the field she got labor pain and gave birth to Veysel right there. She cut the navel cord herself, wrap the baby a cloth and turned back to village by walking.
I'm on a long and narrow road
On my way morning and night
I don't know what state I'm in
I'm on my way morning and night
From the moment I came into this world
Began walking at the same time
In a caravanserai with only two doors
I'm on my way morning and night

Yellow Bride
Sad love story of the Yellow Bride. Her family was opposed to their marriage and they never became together. From that period this tale is being a ballad of “Yellow Bride”
I don’t give you to foreigners
Leylim aman aman leylim aman aman
Leylim aman aman yellow bride

Ceramic Artist Fureya 1910-1997
She started to her ceramic works in 1947, Lausanne. Afterwards, with the support of well-known French ceramic artist Serré, she continued her ceramic works in a private ceramic workshop in Paris. She participated to local and abroad exhibitions, got awarded.
“The note that Ataturk wrote in the daybook of Fureya:
Miss Fureya, the duty that you will render to the nation is important!”

Yildiz Kenter “Me Anatolia”- 1984
Yıldız Kenter who is awarded as “State Artist” in 1981 played English and Turkish dramas in Soviet Republics, USA, UK, Germany, Netherland, Denmark, Canada, Yugoslavia and Cyprus. In 1984, she was awarded “Adalaide Ristori” in Rome by Italian Cultural Union.
1981 yılında Devlet Sanatçısı olaraködüllendirilen Yıldız Kenter Sovyetler Birliği, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, İngiltere, Almanya, Hollanda, Danimarka, Kanada, Yugoslavya ve Kıbrıs’ta İngilizce ve Türkçe oyunlar sergiledi. 1984 de Roma’daki İtalyan Kültür Birliğince “Adalaide Ristori” ödülüne layık görüldü
In “Me Anatolia” the woman in Anatolia having more than six thousand years was played by Yildiz Kenter on stage with 16 different characters. From tragedy to comedy, a separate story of each woman comes from mythological ages to War of Liberation in historical chronological order covering a time period for thousands of years.

Semiha Berksoy
She worked with Carl Erbert when Ankara State Opera was established. In 1941, he performed her first Opera Stage in Tosca. She presented many concerts all around the world. She never gave up painting while her Opera Career was going and she opened exhibitions in Berlin(1969) and in Paris(1972)

Snowdrops 2000
Composer Sezen Aksu and author Ayse Kulin were also participated to ‘Snowdrops” project executed by Turkcell together with Association in Support of Contemporary Life from 2000, providing scholarship to about 10.000 girls who cannot continue to education due to economic insufficiency of their families.
I’m neither more
nor less than you
little different in the same adventure
various figures with eye
my soul understands with heart
no discrimination
I’m nothing without you
blossom snowdrop blossom

Cemil İpekçi as our guest artist in the first Premiere Exhibition in Belgian Residance in Ankara
To the one hunded mesopotamians
And the forty virgins trapped inside
Flashy and earthly, he shines
Encounters of the third kind
Clapping the hands quietly insisting
Smell the coffee and dream
The superclean dream of your beloved
Around your neck. murmur of the heart
Far away geisha in slow movements
tradition of the long standing biancaflora
Drinking tea with angels and
By a wing
Was it Garcia Lorca ?
Or a breeze from Granada, your sephardic ghost?
Floating in the dry air
That you left when talking in riddles
And butterflies, of course
After 1900…
“For thousands of years our civilizations born, improves, changes; live side by side, comes across, emulates each other, differentiates, let others imitates themselves; then slowly or immediately disappears or socialized with each others.”
“In this century we will have to choose from two different points of view for the future.
The first of these is a thought of humanity which fights each other, hates each other, but with the effect of globalization feeds each other more with cultural slurry each day and divided into clans.
The second is a thought of humanity which is conscious of its common destiny and therefore collected around the same basic values, but continuous more than ever to improve most various, rich cultural statements, protecting all languages, artistic traditions, techniques, sensitivities, memories and knowledge.”
Amin Maalouf
Le dérèglement du monde: Quand nos civilisations s'épuisent
2009
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