Artist Gülay Alpay shared her vision at a reception at the Turkish Center, Culture, and Tourism Office Gallery in New York.

Mrs. Meltem Onhon and Gulay Alpay

 Mrs. Meltem Önhon, Deputy Attache of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Office welcomed guests to experience the magical artistry of Gülay Alpay at her solo exhibition "Sound of Silk," at the opening reception at the Turkish Center, Culture, and Tourism Office Gallery, on September 8, 2006. The exhibition ran until September 30, 2006. Mrs. Önhon said that, "Gülay Alpay's work crosses barriers of language and culture, speaking to the universal appreciation of nature's beauty. Her heartfelt commitment should inspire us all."

Ms. Gülay Alpay, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, is an expressionist artist who finds inspiration in whales, which have been a reoccurring theme in her art for the past 10 years. Expressionistic art invites viewers to come and take a closer look, to dare and discover its secrets, and Ms. Alpay takes a playful approach and combines images of whales and phrases, which the viewer must uncover to discover the "secret" of each of her paintings. Her medium is silk, which is perhaps in deference to her degree in fashion design, or simply that the use of silk allows for freedom of movement, for rhythm, and a fluidity, which is the pulse of her work, and would not be the same on canvas. She loves using bright colors and pop-art images, and of course whales, in her colorful, playful, and visually stimulating and exciting works. Her exhibit "Sound of Silk" focuses on the sounds of whales singing. Being a diver, I have heard humpback whales singing, and she has clearly captured the joy and the passion of the songs in her paintings.

During the reception, I met with Ms. Alpay, and she told me that recently she had taken a trip took to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where she went on a whale watch to see the natural beauty and grace of the whales. She said that experiencing the whales so close-up was such an emotional moment for her that she cried when she saw them, because she loves whales so much. This passionate, sensitive, and generous artistic soul clearly and freely lets her emotions flow into her paintings.

Ms. Tchera Niyego, curated the "Sound of Silk" exhibition at the Turkish Center, Culture and Tourism Office Gallery, as well as another of Ms. Alpay's exhibits entitled "Doodle" at the Broadway Gallery in New York, which ran from September 1-15, 2006. Ms. Alpay has exhibited her work worldwide and this was her second solo exhibition in New York. Ms. Niyego describes the artist, as "Alpay is a natural in the sense that her work gives off the freedom one might remember experiencing while in the naïve joy and nullification of doodling."

Mr. Abraham Lubelski, Publisher, NY Arts Magazine, has stated that her work has "connections to Sigmar Polk, Arshille Gorky, Kandinsky, Pollock, and De Kooning." Indeed there are connections, but she is refreshingly and simply, Gülay Alpay, and must be accepted and appreciated for her own talents and on her own terms.  

Abraham Lubelski, Meltem Onhon, Gulay Aplay, and Tchera Niyego

For information on Ms. Gülay Alpay, please visit her website at www.gulayalpay.com. 

Ms. Gülay Alpay
Telephone:      +90.212.5608633
Fax:                 +90.212.560.8667
Email:             This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.gulayalpay.com  

Please read other articles on Turkey in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Spas, Restaurants, Chefs' Recipes and Luxury Products sections.

For additional information on Turkey, please contact: Turkish Culture and Tourism Office, www.tourismturkey.org.

© October 2006. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved