‘No Place like Home’ exhibition by an Irish artist

Angela Burns, Lecturer at Department of Fashion and Textile Design, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), is displaying her illustrations on textile art at an exhibition called ‘No Place like Home’. Irish native Burns, who had been living in Turkey for almost 13 years, got inspired by different life styles, music, dance, and food when she created her special collection. Burns’ exhibition, consisting of large format textile fabric printing that reflect her art experiences she gained in Ireland and Turkey, is on display for art enthusiasts at Contemporary Arts Center, Ankara. Ambassador Sonya McGuinness, Irish Embassy Ankara, and large crowd of foreign guests attended the opening of the exhibition which will stay open until December 9, 2019. The exhibition will be on display at other locations afterwards. 

 A CULTURAL DISCOVERY

Angela Burns, Lecturer at IUE Department of Fashion and Textile Design, stated that her exhibition she created by bringing different themes together, carried a cultural discovery feature. Burns said, “When I was creating this collection, I studied visual resources from various cultures and got inspired by different themes such as people, food, life styles, music, dance, and geography. I reinterpreted these in large format textile fabric printing and created a special collection. I focused on reinterpreting the disappearing components of culture, or components that are believed to be less important.”  

TURKISH COLLECTION

Stating that the exhibition included a special collection which reflects Turkish culture, Burns said, “Some key themes come into view in the Turkish collection. In the exhibition, while Turkish village women are characterized by their traditional wear, and Turkish handicrafts such as hand-knit, embroidery, and Turkish lace are represented, typical male characters in a Turkish village life and classical cars are portrayed. Traditional Turkish coffee culture, rural life, urban views, and market life are also among the themes displayed. The exhibition includes an Irish collection as well. Familiar cultural components of Ireland such as sign boards, post boxes, and Punt, the monetary pound of Ireland which is no longer being used, come to viewers’ attention. Traditional Irish dance, music and Gaelic Hurling's (Celt/Irish Hockey) sport, present an interesting view in Irish cultures. All of my collections are based on my knowledge and experience on both illustration and textile design.”