9th Alanya International Art Exhibition opened.

The Alanya International Art Exhibition, organized under the leadership of the Alanya Municipal Foreigners Council, opened for the 9th time at the Cultural Center. The exhibition, which will be open for 4 days, attracted significant interest from local and foreign citizens from the very first day.

The Alanya International Art Exhibition, showcasing paintings, photographs, sculptures, handicrafts, and many other artworks created by resident foreigners living in Alanya, opened its doors for the 9th time. The opening ceremony was greeted by violin virtuoso Katya Vovk. The program continued with a dance performance and a recital by violinist Yana. The performances by artists residing in Alanya were met with prolonged applause from the guests. This year, the exhibition saw record participation with 82 artists from 9 countries, featuring over 300 paintings, as well as hundreds of handicraft products. Artists from Turkey, Poland, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tatarstan, Latvia, and Palestine presented their beautiful works to art enthusiasts at the Cultural Center.

“The language of art in the world is common”

In his opening speech, Abdullah Karaoğlu, the President of the Municipal Foreigners Council, thanked everyone who participated in the exhibition and contributed with their works, stating, “The world is very small, and the language of art in this world is common. Therefore, our art exhibition, organized by the Foreigners Council of Alanya Municipality, which has been ongoing for 20 years, has become even more intense this year. As the Foreigners Council, we have many different events in Alanya. Everyone is already invited to the 20th anniversary celebration of the Foreigners Council on November 27. Additionally, our annual Christmas Market will be held on December 7 and 8 behind the Municipality Building.”

“It is very important for us to act together”

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Yazıcı, Vice-Rector of Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, stated, “Using the language of art, which knows no borders, as a unifying element is extremely important for all foreigners living in Alanya to feel part of this whole and to create synergy. Therefore, I wish for our exhibition to be successful. On behalf of our university, I want to express that every kind of support will be provided in terms of education for all foreigners in this region to live under better conditions and be happier. I thank the artists participating in the exhibition and the Alanya Municipality for organizing it.”

“We are trying to build a new city culture”

Deputy Mayor Murat Levent Koçak emphasized that they live in a very significant geography and said, “The cultural richness of our geography is as important as its beauty. The city we live in has a multi-layered culture. We carry traces from the Hellenistic period, the Roman period, Byzantium, the Seljuks, the Ottomans, and the Republic period. Turkey has many multi-cultural cities inherited from the past. In Alanya, we are building something different. We are trying to construct a new city culture where more than 45,000 people from around 130 countries live, which is imbued with peace, culture, and tolerance. One of the most important parts of this work on the Alanya city culture is the Foreigners Council, which has reached its 20th year. By the way, we need to reconsider the name of this Foreigners Council. We call ourselves New Alanyans, but as an institution, we should continue with a different name because everyone here is now an Alanyan.”

After the speeches, the opening of the exhibition was conducted by protocol members, and guests toured the exhibition area and chatted with the artists. The opening at the Alanya Cultural Center, led by the Alanya Municipality Foreigners Council, was attended by Deputy Mayor Murat Levent Koçak, Presidential Advisor Nazmi Zavlak, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Yazıcı, District Migration Administration Director Mehmet Çelik, Municipal Foreigners Council President Abdullah Karaoğlu, municipal council members, members of the Foreigners Council, political party representatives, chamber and NGO heads, muhtars, and many citizens. The exhibition will be open for free visits for 4 days.