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Coplu
based in Vancouver- Canada and Antalya-Turkey. He is
represented and his work is exhibited at
galleries around the world. Ode to Art
Gallery-Singapore & Malaysia, Howe Street Gallery-Canada, Gallery
444-San Francisco-America, State of the Art Gallery-Hong Kong. He was
born in
Ushak, Turkey based in Vancouver-Canada, and Antalya-Turkey.
Coplu’s
journey as an artist began at a very early age when he was a
child. His family was involved in the carpet business so they spent
their days
making dyes, coloring yarns, drawing figures and matching patterns. His
mother
carried him in her backpack while weaving and she would explain to him
what the
various patterns meant and the effects of color in carpets.
His
family moved to Istanbul
when he was six and he lived there for thirty years. The sixties and
seventies
were periods of optimism, socialism and humanism in Turkey but the 80’s
brought very
difficult political and social events. In response to censorship and
oppression
of freedom of expression he began to draw cartoons. His passion for
drawing
grew as he was studying to become a mining engineer at Istanbul
University,
but he found he could not keep his mind on his studies while it was
completely
occupied with social issues. He witnessed great turmoil in his day to
day life
which he documented in his art and it was not long before his art
became more
important to him than his studies.
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He
participated in his first art exhibition in Istanbul in 1984, followed
by many solo
exhibitions in Turkey
and group exhibitions in Italy,
Japan,
France,
Germany,
Belgium,
Russia,
Spain,
USA
and Canada.
His illustrations have been published in numerous magazines,
newspapers, books
and catalogues both in Turkey
and across Europe. Since his first
international recognition in 1989 with the Nasreddin Hodja
International
Cartoon Competition Special Talent Award, he has received 25 awards in
national
and international competitions, including second prize in cartoon
competition
in Okhotsk - Japan.
He
contributed cartoons to the Turkish Daily News for over five years.
He established an Open Air Cartoon Exhibition Space and the Cartoon
School of
Antalya. Under the auspices of these institutions he taught many pupils
the art
of seeing the humorous side of life. He
has been exploring forms of visual art and he developed his own
style of painting. He has been painting for years.The subjects of his
paintings are always human beings and the
environment they are part of. His work mirrors human beings’ feelings,
beliefs,
thoughts, fears and experiences.
He has been interviewed by many media, his work has been recently
documented by Channel News Asia and screened arodn 22 countries around
Asia, his paintings are mainly bought by private collecters and
institutions. Six of his paintings are printed as limited editions
by Aurora
Fine Art Publisher and sold in over 50 galleries in the
UK.
Some Solo Exhibitions
2011
State of the Art Gallery-Hong
Kong
2011
Ode to Art Gallery-Singapore & Kuala
Lumpur
2009 Ode to Art Gallery-Singapore
& Kuala
Lumpur
2009 Art Attack Gallery-Dubai
2009 State of the Art Gallery-Hong
Kong
2008 Ode to Art Gallery-
Singapore & Kuala
Lumpur
2007 State
of
the
Art Gallery – Hong Kong
2006 MJC
des
4
Bordes Metz-France
2003 Eurocentre-La Rochelle-
France
2002 Room George Chepfer
Nancy- France
2001 Int.Contemporary Art Fair
Malaga- Spain
2000 Galleri Hittite Toronto-
Canada
1999 Vienna Centre - Vienna –
Austria
1998 Caravanserai
Aksaray-Turkey,
1997 State Fine Art &
Sculpture Museum -
Izmir- Turkey
1996 Pimapen Culture House
-Istanbul- Turkey
1996 Atelier House - Hamburg –
Germany
1996 State Fine Art &
Sculpture Museum-Ankara- Turkey
1995 Hilton Exhibition Hall -
Istanbul-
Turkey
1995 Archelogical Museum Art
Gallery –Antalya-
Turkey
1994 Pamukkale Museum - Denizli- Turkey
1993 Cartoon Alley – Antalya-
Turkey
1992 Is Bank Art Gallery –
Antalya- Turkey
1991 State Fine
Art Gallery - Antalya- Turkey
1989 Akbank Art Gallery
-Istanbul-
Turkey
1988 Culture Center Exh.
Hall- Eskisehir-
Turkey
1985 Antalya Municipality
Culture Center- Turkey
1984 Bilim Art Gallery -
Istanbul- Turkey
Selected
Group
Exhibitions
2009
Gallery
444
San
Francisco-America
2009 Howe Street
Gallery-Vancouver-Canada
2007 Lando Gallery, Edmonton -Canada
13th Rassegna
Umoristica Internazionale - Italy
17th Biennial
Internazionale Dell'Umorismo Nell'Arte - Italy
22th Salon International de la Caricature-Canada
International Simavi Cartoon Exhibitions-Turkey
2nd International Tehran Biennial - Iran
3rd Taejon Int'l Cartoon Contest - Korea
Premio Satira Politica - Italy
Eurohumor - Italy
Okhotsk International Cartoon Exhibitions - Japan
Annual International Nasreddin Hodja Cartoon Exhibitions since 1988 -
Turkey
World Cartoon Gallery - Macedonia
Selected
Awards
and Honors
Special Talent Prize International
Nasreddin Hodja Cartoon Competition –Turkey.
2nd Prize, 3rd prize and Mention, International
Okhotsk
Cartoon
Competition
–Japan.
Honorable Mention, International Taejon
Cartoon Competition -Korea
3rd Prize, International Simavi Cartoon Competition -Turkey
Galleries
where Coplu’s paintings have been exhibited
Ode
To
Art-
Singapore
& Kuala Lumpur
State Of The Art
Gallery- Hong Kong
Gallery 444 San Francisco –USA
Howe Street
Gallery of Fine Art-Vancouver-Canada
Lando Gallery - Edmonton - Canada
Fingerhut Galleries - California USA
Nexus Gallery – Melbourne –Australia
The Link Gallery-
Colorado- USA
Collection Privee-
Miami - USA
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