ABOUT KAGAN GUNER
The artist who spent 20 years in Newington Green, was a beloved fixture in the
North London Communities, because of the contributions he made to the
community centres and political organisations.
When he arrived in post-Thatcher Britain as a student in the 80s, he witnessed
first-hand the poll tax riots, the miner's strikes and the Wapping dispute.
He returned to Turkey in 1987. Shortly after returning, he initiated a hunger strike
with a crew of 12 people aimed at halting the hotel construction in Iztuzu Beach,
Dalyan, in order to defend sea turtles’ nesting areas. The hotel construction was
successfully halted. After this event the environmental movement gained
momentum in Turkey, resulting in political parties addressing environmental
issues in their manifestos.
The artist who could not return to Istanbul, the city he dearly missed, due to political reasons, expressed himself with the following words when describing the work he created from the brochures he collected during the anti-war protests of
2003: “When two million marched against the war back in February 2003, nobody
was a foreigner. We were all one.”He published articles in various magazines criticising the classification of artists by
neoliberal politicians.
He got immense pleasure and inspiration from all sorts of personal connections he cultivated with different people, from the waiters and waitresses at his local cafe to the off-license of the neighbourhood. He synthesised stories, tales and mythologies he gathered around him and reflected this onto his work, also creating his own distinct poetic language. He collected all kinds of stories relating to romance, socialism, spiritualism and any story relating to love and revolution
with a great appetite and reflected this on his work.
Experiences he acquired in Istanbul, the city he dearly missed, and London, where he spent most of his life, are present in many layers of the work he produced. Starting in February 2022, with the help of a consultant team formed of artists and designers, Kagan’s works were exhibited in Istanbul, Ankara and London. This also helped promote and publicise his work. The exhibitions were displayed in museums and galleries in city centres, garnering huge attention. As well as his paintings, Kağan Güner has a variety of different works in the form of sculptures, illustrations, installations, public art projects, poems and a research book The Birth of Turkish Modernism (Turkish: Modern Türk Sanatının Doğuşu).
Biography
He completed his education at Mimar Sinan University and Chelsea College of Art and Design. He produced works in the fields of public art, painting, sculpture and illustrations of children's books. He is recognised as one of the national artists of Turkey by UNICEF and the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Cultural Centre.
His award-winning works in international art concours were exhibited in metropolitan cities such as New York, London, Cardiff, Paris, Bologna, Lisboa, Bratislava, İstanbul, Tehran, Tokyo, Seoul in world class museums including the Museum of London, Itabashi Museum and Centre Georges Pompidou. He moved to Famagusta in 2008 to teach design at the Eastern Mediterranean University after spending 20 years in London and continued his art, forming a triangle between the cities of Famagusta, Istanbul and London until he passed away in 2011.
1963 Born in İstanbul
1980 Started Istanbul Fine Arts State Academy, Industrial Design Undergraduate Programme
1984-1987 Attended sculpture classes of Marilyn Rogers and African carving classes of Olu Mabo in Brixton
1986 Participated in his first group exhibition in Brixton Artist’s Gallery
1987 Participated in an environmental protest for Caretta Carettas and an exhibition in Dalyan
1990 Graduated from Mimar Sinan University and moved to London permanently
1993 was selected as the National Artist of Turkey by the UNICEF headquarters in Zurich
1994-96 Completed his master's programme in Public Art and Design in London- Chelsea College of Art and Design
2000, Opened an exhibition of children's books illustrations retrospectives in the October Gallery of London and the Garibaldi Center of Istanbul
2002-07 Lectured at the University of London- SOAS
2008 - Moved to Famagusta in Northern Cyprus as a senior lecturer at the Eastern Mediterranean University, Industrial Design Department
Museums and Institutions Where Exhibitions Took Place
Pompidou Center-Paris
United Nations Headquarters – New York
ITABASHI Museum – Tokyo
Museum of London- London
UNICEF Headquarters- Zurich
International Federation of Children’s Books Illustrators – Bratislava
BolognaFiere- Bologna
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2024 April – “The Artist from The Corner” Painting Exhibition, Islington Workers Cafe / London/ UK
2023 June - “Nobody was a Foreigner” Painting Exhibition, Newington Green Meeting House/ London/ UK
2023 February - “Circle of Time” The Retrospective, Zülfü Livaneli Art Gallery/ Ankara/ Turkey
2022 April - The Illustrations of Folk Tales, Gas Factory Museum (Müze Gazhane)/ Istanbul/ Turkey
2022 February – “The Exhibition of a Storyteller, Akatlar Art Gallery/ Istanbul/ Turkey
2010 May - The Magic of Movement: Revolution, Meke Art Gallery/Istanbul/ Turkey
2009 November - AXIS MUNDIS, Petit Coin Gallery/ London/ UK
2008 February - MY GUARDIAN, Petit Coin Gallery/ London/ UK
2007 September - ‘In the Light of Memory: Beyond Borders’ Newington Green Park Installation/ London/ UK
2000 June – Illustrations of Folk Tales, Garibaldi Hall, Istanbul/ Turkey
2000 February - Illustrations of Folk Tales, October Gallery, London/ UK
1991 April - Crypt Gallery, London/ UK
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2007 February – Belonging, Museum of London, London/ UK
2005 September - 9th İstanbul Biennial
2005 March - 30X30 Translated Worlds, Abney Hall Gallery, London/ UK
2002 September - Bratislava International Biennial/ Slovak Republic
2002 August - UNESCO Exhibition, Tehran/ Iran
2002 July - 12th Noma Concours, Itabashi Museum, Tokyo/ Japan,
2001 July - No Place, Pump House Gallery-Battersea Park, London/ UK
2001 February - Turkish Artists in London, Crypt Gallery, London/ UK
2000 May - Cloth of Gold, Sadlers Wells Theatre London/ UK
1999 November - Art in Exile, Brixton Gallery, London/UK
1999 September - Bratislava International Biennial / Slovak Republic
1999 June - 11th Noma Concours, Itabashi Museum, Tokyo/ Japan
1997 June: Art Without Frontiers, Brixton Art Gallery, London/ UK
1997 February - Save the Children Exhibition, Cardiff/ Wales
1996 February - Placing the Elephant, Urban Art and Design Exhibition, MA Graduates of Chelsea College of Art and Design School
1994 March - Exchange Installation Exhibition, Lisbon/ Portugal
1993 September - Bratislava International Biennial/ Slovak Republic,
1993 June - 10th Noma Concours, Itabashi Museum, Tokyo/ Japan
1991 September - Bratislava International Biennial/ Czechoslovakia
1991 September - UNICEF Exhibition, United Nations Headquarters, New York/ USA
1991 June - 9th Noma Concours, Itabashi Museum, Tokyo/ Japan
1991 April - 25th BolognaFiere Bologna/ Italy
1991 March - UNICEF Artists Exhibition, Pompidou Centre, Paris/ France
1990 August - 91st Pastel Society Exhibition, Mall Gallery, London/ UK
1990 May - 2nd Biennale of Illustrators of Children’s Books, Lannion/ France
1990 April - 24th Bolognafiere, Bologna/ Italy
1989 September - 1st Children’s Books Biennale, Tehran/ Iran
1989 April - 23rd Bolognafiere, Bologna/ Italy
1987 April - Environmental Art Exhibition, Dalyan Iztuzu/ Turkey
1986 February - New Works by New Artists, Brixton Artists Gallery, London/ UK