Yusuf Taktak (born 1951) is a Turkish artist and academic. He was a student of and later taught in

Adnan Coker Adnan Coker (; 20 October 1927 – 22 August 2022) was a Turkish abstract artist.)(English mention states "Turkish artists such as abstract masters Devrim Erbil and Adnan Coker") Coker was born in Süleymaniye in Istanbul Istanbul is th ...

s atelier. He has worked on wall paintings, participated in biennials in Turkey and internationally as well as group exhibitions. His art is known for working with geometric forms in the paint texture. Taktak considers colors as a prominent element in his artwork. He does not depict people in his works but makes the feeling of humanity and life felt through the art. He is a known name in

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

of the 1980s.

Early life and education

He was born in 1951 in

Bolvadin Bolvadin (Ancient Greek: Πολύβοτον/Πολύβοτος and Latin: ''Polybotum''/''Polybotus'') is a city of Afyonkarahisar Province in Turkey. It is the seat of Bolvadin District.Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (, or MSGSÜ) is a public art university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university's campus is located in the Fındıklı, Beyoğlu. The university was established in 1882 under the leadership of Osman Hamdi Bey. Hist ...

, from the studio Joker Atelier of Professor

. He also studied at

Salzburg Summer Academy Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Alps mountains. The town occupies the site of the Roman settlement ...

with Mario Deluigi.

Career

In 1976 he initiated his career at the Istanbul Museum of Fine Arts and Sculpture. He also taught at the

Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (, or MSGSÜ) is a public art university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university's campus is located in the Fındıklı, Beyoğlu. The university was established in 1882 under the leadership of Osman Hamdi Bey. Hist ...

, teaching at the Adnan Coker Atelier. He left these positions in the early 90s. From 1997 to 1998 he was a teacher at the

Yeditepe University Yeditepe University () is a private non-profit university situated in Istanbul, Turkey. Established by the Istanbul Education and Culture Foundation ('', İSTEK Vakfı'') in 1996, Yeditepe University now claims to be the largest of the 74 priva ...

. In 1989 he organised the exhibition about

Osman Hamdi Bey Osman Hamdi Bey (30 December 1842 – 24 February 1910) was an Ottoman Turkish administrator, intellectual, art expert and also a prominent and pioneering painter. He was the Ottoman Empire's first modern archaeologist, and is regarded as the ...

at the

Mimar Sinan University Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (, or MSGSÜ) is a public university, public Art school, art university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university's campus is located in the Fındıklı, Beyoğlu, Fındıklı, Beyoğlu. The university was established ...

Painting and Sculpture Museum. The exhibition included the sculptures by

Zühtü Müridoğlu Zühtü Müridoğlu (26 January 1906 – 21 August 1992) was a Turkish people, Turkish sculptor and one of the first sculptors of the Republican generation. He attended the Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi, and was a student of İhsan Özsoy, there from ...

, Gustav Deluye and Oskan Efendi of Osman Hamdi bey. In 2005 he initiated a position at the

Yıldız Technical University Yıldız Technical University ( Turkish: ''Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi'', often simply referred to as YTU or Yıldız) is a prominent public technical university dedicated to engineering and natural sciences, as well as social sciences recentl ...

and the faculty of art and design which he stayed at until 2017, he worked here along with working in his atelier. He works and lives in Istanbul. Taktak has been credited with "playing an active role in the shaping of art" in Turkey and giving significant efforts in "framing the memory of Turkish art." During his time teaching he was the teacher of many Turkish artists such as Esti Saul. He was among the artists to burn their works for a museum in commemoration of the

Sivas Massacre The Sivas massacre () or Madımak massacre () refers to an act of mob arson taking place on July 2, 1993 at the Hotel Madımak (''Otel Madımak'') in Sivas, Turkey, which resulted in the killing of 37 people, mostly Alevi intellectuals. Two pe ...

. He is among the founders of the ASSOCİATİON INTERNATİONALE DES ARTS PLASTİQUES (Turkish: ''Uluslararası Plastik Sanatlar Derneği'') His work is in the collection of the

İstanbul Modern Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, colloquially referred to as Istanbul Modern (), is a contemporary art gallery located inside the Galataport complex in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. Inaugurated on December 11, 2004, Istanbul Modern was ...

. Taktak, along with Ahmet Öktem,

Altan Gürman Altan may refer to: * Altan (name) * Altan (company), a software company. * Altan (band), a folk music group from Donegal * Altan (album), ''Altan'' (album), a 1987 album by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy * Altan Jalab, a village in A ...

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Gülsün Karamustafa Gülsün Karamustafa (born 1946 in Ankara) is a visual artist and filmmaker recognised as "one of Turkey’s most outspoken and celebrated artists." Using personal and historical narratives, Karamustafa explores socio-political issues in modern ...

Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin (1957 in İzmir – 2007 in Istanbul) studied aesthetics, philosophy of art, and sociology in Ankara and Paris. Part of the first generation of Turkish artists considered to be globally active and nationally influential, Alpt ...

Moni Salim Özgilik Moni or Mone ( Kamkata-vari: ''Mone''/''Mune''), also known as Mandi (from Prasun) was, after Imra, the second-most important god in the pre-Islamic pantheon of the Nuristani people. With his breath, Imra created Moni and Gish. Moni was believed ...

Mustafa Altıntaş Mustafa Altıntaş (1 January 1939 – 10 November 2010), otherwise known as Mustafa Köylü, was a Turkish footballer who played for Bursaspor and Kocaelispor. Death Mustafa died of cancer in Kartepe, Turkey on 10 November 2010. Personal life ...

Kutluğ Ataman Kutluğ Ataman (born 1961 in Istanbul Turkey) is an acclaimed Turkish-American contemporary artist and feature filmmaker. Ataman's films are known for their strong characterization and humanity. His early art works examine the ways in which peo ...

Nur Koçak Nur Koçak is a contemporary feminist Turkish artist who was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1941. She is most well known for her works that comment on women's objectification in consumerist societies. She lives and works in Istanbul, Turkey. Educat ...

Sabiha Rüştü Bozcalı Sabiha Rüştü Bozcalı (1904 – 12 April 1998) was a visual artist and illustrator who was influential in shaping the visual culture in Turkey in the mid-to-late 20th century. She is considered as "Turkey's first woman illustrator." Bozcalı is ...

, Serhat Kiraz and

Tomur Atagök Tomur Atagök (6 May 1939 – 27 March 2025) was a Turkish painter, musicologist, author and academic. Early life and education Atagök was born in Istanbul, Turkey on 6 May 1939 and in 1959, she graduated from the American College for Girls. S ...

has contributed to the artist archives of ''Salt Research''.

Recent personal exhibitions

* 2012 - ''Zamanlar İçinde'' * 2014 - ''Zamansız'' * 2015 - ''ZAM-ANLAMA'' * 2016 - ''Kaybolan Uygarlıklar'' * 2019 - ''Ellerim Tanıktır Zamana'' * 2022 - ''yaZaman''

References

Notes

Citations

External links

"Yusuf Taktak, atölyesinde - Yusuf Taktak, at his studio"
Salt Research * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taktak, Yusuf Living people Turkish artists 1951 births Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul alumni