Hüsamettin Koçan, 1946

Hüsamettin Koçan studied art in the State School of Applied Fine Arts from 1966-1970. He returned there as a teaching assistant in 1975 and took part in the Salzburg Summer Academy of 1978.

Earth symbolizes memory for Koçan, and is one of the most important features of his paintings, which use it as a symbol as well as a material, rooted as they are in Anatolia. The artist casts hands, eyes, and bodies like forms of expression present in mysticism and shamanism. To this end, he takes inspiration from the geography he inhabits and its symbols, and blends them with the new, as well as propositions regarding the future, to ultimately propose a new interpretation.

The works from Koçan’s “Paintings for Blinds” series stimulate the sense of touch rather than pursuing a completely visual experience. They exemplify the bringing together of insights gained through his research into Anatolian traditions and contemporary art. Referencing the allusive style of communication and the tradition of glass-bottom painting particular to Anatolia, Koçan creates the ridges evident in the works by placing earth under the canvas surface. Unlike his works in which he uses a symbolic language for the visual elements and motifs of Anatolian culture, history, and geography, here he uses earth as a more conceptual symbol for the idea of homeland.