The 7th International Watercolor Festival of Love, Peace and Tolerance through Art and the Golden Brush Competition started at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center. Messages of peace were given at the opening ceremony of the festival, in which many artists from 42 countries took part. Mustafa Özuslu, Deputy Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, said, “Art mostly means peace.”
The 7th International Love, Peace and Tolerance Through Art Watercolor Festival and Golden Brush Competition, hosted by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized in cooperation with the International Watercolor Association, started. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor Mustafa Özuslu, Founder and President of the International Watercolor Association Atanur Doğan, President of the International Watercolor Association Turkey Ayşin Keskiner and International Watercolor Association representatives, many local and foreign artists. Within the scope of the festival, where watercolor artists from 21 different countries participated, the works that won awards in the watercolor painting competition themed “İzmir” were also exhibited.
“Art means peace”
Mustafa Özuslu, Deputy Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, who made the opening speech of the festival, said, “There is a wonderful painting, a work of art here. This work of art is you. You created that work of art with your colors and differences here. Our Great Leader, our founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, has a very important word; 'War is murder unless absolutely necessary.' We need the healing power of art so that the tragedies of war can end. Our President Tunç SoyerAs said, so many colors, so many voices, so breath. Art is oppositional, art is objection, but most of all, art means peace”.
“No to war” messages in Izmir, the city of peace
At the festival, where prints of Ukrainian artists who could not attend the festival due to the war were also exhibited, the winner of the 2020 Watercolor Competition, Ukrainian artist Samira Yanushkova, also made a call for peace. “Everyone should know that Ukraine is a free country, but many people lost their lives. I would like to thank the whole world for the support they have given us.”
Atanur Doğan, the Founder and President of the International Watercolor Association, repeating the call for peace, said, “We are very sensitive about this issue. Artist people love love very much. Sometimes wrong and imperialist policies do not allow them. We always shout this. Let the war end. Turkey and Izmir gained independence a hundred years ago. Izmir is the city of peace and independence. We hope that peace will always continue," he said.
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