Bedri Baykam, CHP deputy in Ankara in 1957, Dr. He was born as the second child of Suphi Baykam and Master Architect Engineer Mutahhar Baykam. He started painting at the age of two. At the age of six, he exhibited his first works in Ankara, Bern and Geneva. In the 1960s, when he was described as a child prodigy, he constantly exhibited in many art centers in Europe and America, and attracted great attention. Bedri Baykam, who attended Istanbul French High School (Papillon), moved to Paris in 1975. Baykam, who studied business and economics at Sorbonne University between 1975-80, received his master's degree from this faculty. In the same period, he studied acting at a private school called L'Actorat in Paris. During the 1970s, Baykam also became a tennis player who received important degrees in the Turkish Championships.
Moving to the USA in 1980, the artist studied painting and cinema at the California College of Arts and Crafts until 1984. Baykam remained in America until 1987, and continued to open many exhibitions in San Francisco, New York, Istanbul and Paris during this time. Moving his workshop to Istanbul in 1987, Baykam has opened 142 solo exhibitions, half of which are international, participated in numerous group exhibitions, shot many short films and video films, acted as an actor in short and feature films. Baykam also became one of the graffiti artists who changed the face of New York in the 80s. Bringing the large-scale works, politics and eroticism that he has standardized since the 80s to our contemporary art environment, the artist has started to produce “4D” four-dimensional works that have attracted great attention all over the world, as an extension of the digital and paint transparent layers series he has been working on for the last five years. . He has also curated many exhibitions. Baykam has 31 published books.
His works, Berlin Academie der Künste, Barcelona Picasso Museum, Roland-Garros Museum, Pinacothèque de Paris, Stedelijk Schiedam, Museum der Moderne Salzburg, National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, Osthaus Museum Hagen, Künstlerhaus Bethanien Berlin, Bahrain National Museum, Kunstverein für die The artist exhibited in museums and institutes such as Rheinlande und Westfalen and Biennales in Cairo, Venice, Istanbul and Buenos Aires, as well as Daniel Templon (Paris), Stephen Wirtz (San Francisco), Yahşi Baraz (Istanbul), The Proposition (New York), Gallery Siyah. Beyaz (Ankara), EM Donahue (New York), Galerie Kuchling (Berlin), Lavignes-Bastille (Paris), Galerie Pages (Genevre), Opera Gallery (London), Gloria Delson Contemporary Arts (Los Angeles) has held exhibitions.
The artist, who is an active member of the Association for Supporting Contemporary Life and Kemalist Thought Association, is also one of the founders of the International Plastic Arts Association affiliated to UNESCO and is still the chairman of the Turkish national committee of this organization. At the same time, he was elected as the World President at the 2015th World Art Associations General Assembly of the UNESCO official partner International Association of Art (IAA) held in 18. In 2011, at the 17th World Art Associations General Assembly held in Guadalajara, Mexico, upon the unanimous acceptance of Baykam's proposal as UPSD President, 15 April, the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci, was declared World Art Day. In 2019, Baykam's proposal, which he brought to UNESCO, this time as the IAA World President, was again unanimously accepted and the World Art Day became one of the International UNESCO Days.
Baykam, who organized and directed the Grassroots Operation movement, which was established to unite the three social democratic parties, together with the heads of various democratic mass organizations, was elected as a member of the CHP Party Assembly at the 1995 CHP congress and continued this duty for three years. He previously had columns in Güneş, Hürriyet Sahne, Tempo, Black-White, Evening, Aydınlık, Genç Sanat and OdaTv, prepared and presented a cultural discussion program called “The Color of the Period” on Prima TV for three years, and spent 2 years at Skala. Baykam, who is the editor-in-chief of the art magazine, also writes artistic articles for political and other art magazines in Cumhuriyet Newspaper and presents a football discussion titled “2 F 1 B” on FBTV.
Baykam, one of the pioneers of the Neo-Expressionism movement and also known for his multi-media installations (Livart) and collaged political artworks, is an artist who likes to constantly change his skin. He has directed many 80mm short films since the early 16s and acted in various feature films. In December 1999, a retrospective exhibition of his 40-year art adventure opened in Istanbul, AKM. American director Stefan R. Svetiev's film “This Has Been Done Before” was completed in the same period as a documentary about his entire career and political life until 1999. On the same occasion, Dimension Publishing Group published a 480-page monograph titled “I'm Nothing But I'm Everything”, which brings together all periods of Baykam. Bedri Baykam, who was one of the Party's Chairman candidates at the CHP convention in 2003 and one of the founders and directors of the "Patriotic Movement", is one of the intellectuals who have been in the middle of the political scene in Turkey for years.
Baykam is also the founder of Piramid Film Production Production and Publishing company/Piramid Sanat, headquartered in Istanbul. He married journalist Sibel (Yağcı) Baykam in May 1997. In January 1999, the couple had a son named Suphi.
Bedri Baykam has been managing the World and National Presidency of UNESCO IAA International Artists Association and Turkey National Committee of this association since 2015 as President.