Biography
Sait Toprak. He was born in Bozova, in 1983. In 2004 he graduated from Çukurova
Universty, Education Faculty, Department of Fine Art, Section of Arts and Crafts Teacher
Education. He gaduated from the same dapartment and studio of Prof. Dr. Mustafa Okan in
- In 2018, he completed his PhD from Çukurova University, Department of Art and
Design. He still works as a lecturer at Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Painting
Department. He participiated in various exhibitions.
Awards: 2007, 68th State Painting and Sculpture competition Painting Award, İzmir; 2008,
Anadolu University 50th Year National Painting and 50th Year Monument National Project
Competition Painting Award, Eskişehir; 2009, Talens 5th National Art World Painting
Competition, First Prize, Istanbul; 2013- 13. Şefik Bursalı Painting Competition, Awardl,
Ankara.
Selected Exhibitions: 1997–98–99, Urfa State Art Gallery Painting Exhibition, Şanlırfa State
Art Gallery; 2004, Adana Cement Industry Art Gallery, (Solo); 2005, Head Office of Culture
an Tourizm Exhibition Hall, Adana, “Sen Ödevsin Ama Görünür de Hiç Öğrenci yok”; 2008,
Group Painting Exhibition, Görüntü Art Galery, Adana, 2008 Group Exhibition, Mersin,
Adana, Ankara, Istabul, Antakya; 2008, Adana Young Art Painting, Sculpture, Current Art
Exhibition, Marina Vista, Mersin; 2008, Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Exhibition (Toplu-
İğne), 75th Year Art Galery, Adana; 2009, Contemporary ’09 Istanbul, Görüntü Art Galery,
Adana; 2010, Contemporary ’10 Istanbul, Görüntü Art Galery, Adana; 2010, Group Painting
Exhibition, Görüntü Art Galery, Adana
2010, 75th Year Art Galery, Adana; 2010, Mersin Chamber of Commerce and Industry Art
Galery
2010-“Genç Ustalar Usta Gençler” (Çağdaş Türk Resminin Genç Kuşağı) Karma Resim
Sergisi, MKM, Beşiktaş Çağdaş, (101 Sanatçı), İstanbul; 2010, Toplu-İğne Sanat Grubu “Sarı
Sıcak” (Yaşar Kemal) Başlıklı Resim, Grafik, Heykel Sergisi, 75th Year Art Galery, Adana ;
2011, Contemporary ’11 Istanbul, Görüntü Art Galery, Adana; 2012, Group Painting
Exhibition “Genç Sanatçılar Kervansarayda Buluşuyor”, Silahtar Mustafa Paşa Kervansarayı,
Malatya; 2014, 2015, “Tansa Mermeci Ekşioğlu Koleksiyonu’ndan İzler” Abitus Sanat
Projeleri, İstanbul; 2015, Group Painting Exhibition, Kavgenç, Genç Kuşsak Sergisi IV. 07
Ekim-07 Kasım 2015, Ankara; 2016, 5. Çukurova Sergileri, 75th Year Art Galery, Adana;
2017, “Yeni Nesil Ressamlar” Karma Sergisi, Çankaya Art Galery, Ankara 2017-“Art For
Peace” Embassyy of Tehe Republic of Korea, Çankaya Art Galery, Ankara; 2017, “Human
Drink the Oil” Lebriz/Art212 Art Galery-İstanbul (Solo); 2018 – “ODTÜ Sanat 19, Yeni Bir
Dünya”, ODTÜ Kültür ve Kongre Merkezi, (9 Mart-7 Nisan), Ankara. 2018; 2018- “An ve
Mekan”, Beşir Bayar ve Sait Toprak Resim Sergisi, Mersin Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası Sanat
Galerisi, 20-26 Nisan 2018, Mersin 2019- “Lost Nature” Posta Sanatı Grup Sergisi, Görüntü
Sanat Galerisi, 24Mayıs-13 Haziran 2020, Adana; 2019- “Plant And Seed, Mail Art Group
Exhibition, 01-10 August 2019, Petrick Moden, Bulgdorf/Germany; 2019 – “Life in the Age
of Anthropocene”, Mail Art Group Exhibition, 14-24 November 2019, Ginko Galery,
Belgrade/Serbia; 2019- “Bir arada” Grup Resim Sergisi, Atelye Galeri, 7-27 December 2019,
İstanbul; 2019-Yaşar Eğitim Kültür Vakfı, Altın Yunus Sanat Atölyeleri, 01-15 Temmuz
2019, Çeşme/İzmir; 2019- “Eskiz Defteri Sergisi”, Kafkas Üniversitesi, Güzel Sanatlar
Fakültesi, 18-16 Nisan, 2019, Kars; 2019-“Öğretim Elemanlı Sergisi”, A.Ç.S. Sanat Galerisi,
01-08 November 2019, Adana; 2019- “Spoiler” Karma Resim Sergisi, Donkişot Kafe, 25
Mayıs-14 June 2019, İstanbul; 2020, “The toxic cog of the other time” Görüntü Art Galery-
Adanal, January 24 – February 14 (Solo).
A Short Evaluation of the Paintings of Sait Toprak
What human beings do in the nature and the devastating destruction that they leave
behind is the subject of Sait Toprak’s works in which he uses acrylic, oil paint, paper etc. as
materials with overlapping layers that give a motion to the surface. The theme implies the
bitter truth experienced with the inducements of the power holders of the negativity on
humans and the nature. By refictionalizing what he sees in his environment with observation,
exploration and intution, the artist metaphorically transforms the nature into the human itself.
In one sense, environments (landscapes) that we can define as “human nature” becomes
prominent in the paintings. The sharpness of the representations that take place in the
landscape becomes apparent with the textures created by color and material. The usage of
color and material that expose the representations, ruins the silence and the tranquility of the
landscape. As it is also implied by the artist, the atmosphere in the paintings ‘takes shape in
the flow of distopian sense’. In fact, the atmosphere in the landscapes that show us no humans
and any sign of life makes us feel, shouting and screaming, that the humans should be
concerned about the future. Now and again we experience similar settings in real life, too.
The traces of life experiences and the tragical dimensions of the things that are to come
through conceptualizes with interrogation and criticism in the paintings. Images cause tension
together the density created with successive use of paint and other materials.
Landscape paintin, being equivalent to the nature, is in the center of attention since its
becoming of a “genre”. As a result of our sensual, emotional and aesthetic relation with the
existence of the landscape painting that reflects the nature, dialectically we frequently
experience both of its continuity and its death. Landscape painting is a genre that rapidly
becomes academic and kitsch after each new attempt of becoming new. Nevertheless, it
shouldn’t be easy to prefer landscape painting, try to persuade its receptive of this genre and
moreover to create a point of view and a language. However, this is possible only with
exhibiting a creative, interrogative and critical attitude that takes its source from life itself and
life experience.
