YAZMACILIK VE GÜNCEL SANAT YORUMLARI

BLOCK PRINTING AND CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATION

Abstract

Tokat block printing, our cultural heritage, has a long history as an important part of traditional Turkish folk arts. Today, this traditional craft also finds its place in the contemporary art world. In this context, the works of artist and academician Müge Akçakoca provide important examples of how Tokat block printing has been transformed and enriched by contemporary interpretations. Akçakoca has combined traditional techniques with the dynamics of art by approaching Tokat block printing from a contemporary perspective. She has expanded the boundaries of this craft by combining traditional patterns with new forms, using original motifs and moulds of her own design. Akçakoca's approach re-emphasises the relationship between block printing not only with textiles but also with the art of printmaking. In the artist's productions, traditional motifs are replaced by images that reflect the artist's vegan life philosophy and advocate for animal rights. With this approach, the artist not only realises an artistic production, but also addresses a social point and uses his art as a tool of the animal rights movement. The artist has two solo exhibitions titled “NOTHING” in 2018 and “NOTHING PLACE” in 2019. These solo exhibitions were then exhibited for the second time under the same title in 2019 and 2022 Didim Vegfest.  In this research, in which critical readings of the productions in these exhibitions, which include the interpretations of our cultural heritage in terms of block printing contemporary art, the points where traditional writing techniques and printmaking art merge with textile art are discussed. This research will reveal how Müge Akçakoca reflects the traditional techniques used in Tokat block printing to her own art practice with contemporary interpretations and how the craft is reinterpreted and enriched in contemporary art.