Artists living in Kaş close the season with group exhibition

Kaş, in a sense, is the town of artists of many disciplines. It is still a question whether it is the artists who prefer to settle in the town or it is Kaş itself that inspires people to create. Anyhow, it is estimated that more than 100 artists create their works with some kind of a connection to Kaş, which is way above of the average in Turkey. “Kaş Culture House is living its babyhood,” commented Dilek Diker, the director of the center. “Starting from the establishment of the center in last February, we have already hosted seven exhibitions from famous artists including international ones. For our last exhibition, marking the closure of the season, we wanted to open our doors to those artists living in Kaş for a group exhibition,” she said. The eighth and latest exhibition of the season is named “Meeting” (Buluşma). The group exhibition of the artists living in Kaş was opened on Oct. 28 at the Kaş Culture House. Some 45 artists, expat and local, participated in the exhibition with only one work for each. Therefore, styles, colors, outlooks and subjects were extremely varying, with impressions of Kaş or Turkey visible in many pieces. The best example for such is “Shepherd in Eğirdir” from Doris Koersten who is a medical doctor in Germany but spends a lot of time in Kaş, often traveling in Turkey. “When I saw that shepherd on his donkey, the sun was setting beyond the hills. He was singing loudly but nicely by himself and the sheep were following him. I was impressed from that scene. I felt that he was a happy man. This is the picture of happiness I have painted in Kaş,” Koersten said. Uğur Eken, a senior architect, believes in the inspiration of Kaş on artists. “If one cannot create in Kaş, she or he will have hard time creating anywhere else. As I had never thought of painting in my life, I started painting in Kaş when I was 72 years old. My first panting found its place in this exhibition. Now, I am planning to open my own exhibition in Kaş Culture House next year to celebrate my 75th birthday,” he said. Many artists living in the town and surrounding regions used to display their work in open-air sites such as the town square or private yards. It is the first time for them to display their works in a hall. Obviously this facility will encourage many to create and later to display. In this sense, it seems that art and exhibitions will never stop in Kaş. Special seasons for Kaş There is no “kış” (winter) in Kaş – people call it spring-summer-fall and Kaş. One of the most interesting events during the winter is the Kaş Amateur Astronomy Community, which recently held its first meeting and had their first film showing. The group has planned and scheduled all of its activities until the start of the tourism season. Even with the end of summer in Kaş, active life continues with different colors and passions. Many shop owners will not close until the end of November, after the Kurban Bayram holiday. Several restaurants will not close at all this year. The crowds of visiting tourists have left the town but those who want to live the winter’s “spring” in Kaş have started arriving.