One of the participants of 4th Istanbul Biennial and 11th Istanbul Biennial, who had also been in The Advisory Board of the Pavilion of Turkey at la Biennale di Venezia, passed away. We extend our sincere condolences to his family and the whole art scene. Cengiz Çekil will be remembered for his valuable contributions to the contemporary art.
Biography
Born in 1945, Cengiz Çekil grew up in Bor, in Central Turkey. He received his BFA from Gazi Institute of Education in Ankara, and went on to study at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. There he held his first solo exhibition "Réorganisation pour une Exposition", in the basement of a café in 1975. He returned to Turkey in 1976 and received an MFA in Sculpture from Ege University in İzmir. His first solo exhibition at Rampa was held between May-July 2010. Curated by Vasıf Kortun, the project comprised works produced between 1974 and 2010. Çekil participated in noteworthy exhibitions such as "NEWTOPIA: The State of Human Rights", Mechelen, Belgium (2012); I m Still Alive: Politics and Everyday Life in Contemporary Drawing" MoMA, NY, USA (2011); "What Keeps Mankind Alive?", 11th International İstanbul Biennial, İstanbul, Turkey (2009); "...With All Due Intent", Manifesta 5, San Sebastian, Spain (2004); "Orient-ation", 4th International İstanbul Biennial, İstanbul, Turkey (1995); State Museum of Painting and Sculpture, Ankara, Turkey (1967).