that when parts of the mosaic appeared in Northern Cyprus coming to the attention of the staff of the Sidestreets
Cultural Center they were able to locate many other parts
of the mosaic in various location in Cyprus. The resulting
exhibition, “From Expo ‘58 to Cyprus: Bedri Rahmi’s. Lost
Mosaic Wall” which includes research in the U.S., Europe,
Turkey and Cyprus and will show publicly parts of the mosaic for the first time since the 1960s. We spoke to the
exhibitions curator, Anber Onar about the mosaic.
Where did you get the idea for the exhibition?
The idea of the exhibition started a year ago from a request
by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Northern Cyprus to Sidestreets to search for a permanent public place
for the pieces of the wall they had in their possession (50
x 227 cm 4 panels). We had heard of but not seen a portion
of the mosaic panels were in the hands of Turkish Army in
Cyprus and the Eyüboğlu family in Istanbul. The rumors
were that they were being used in different formats and
purposes. Despite not knowing how much of the mosaic
was in Cyprus, and how it got there from Brussels we
thought the story was an interesting one. Moreover, because of its importance as a historical document and to
create public awareness, we started thinking about doing
an exhibition. In fact, we thought the exhibition was in
line with Sidestreets principles and mission . It was not
difficult to convince Embassy of Turkey of our intentions.
Because this was a genuinely an important artwork and
while it was known as lost in Turkey there was an opportunity for the story of the mosaic to be told again 52 year
later in Cyprus.
What was the role of the mosaic in the 1958 Turkish Pavilion in
Brussels?
Bedri Rahmi’s work was the spine of the Brussels Pavilion. This work is functionally a wall, a bridge, unifying
and separating the Pavilion, as well as being a 227 square
meter art work depicting Anatolian life. Most importantly
though after WWII and the at the beginning of the Cold
War, the Brussels Expo 58, was the first opportunity to
represent modern Turkey in an international platform.
Here, with the “Blue Anatolia” mosaic Bedri Rahmi’s iconography and its concept celebrating multi-culturalism in
Anatolia resulte d in an important idea in the synthesis of
east and west. In addition, the ideas behind the mosaic
overlapped with the design and architectural principles
of the pavilion creating a meaningful union of art and
architecture.
What happened to the mosaic wall after Brussels?
After the end of the Brussels Exhibition, the pavilion and
the mosaic was packed and sent back to Turkey to be reassembled. Initially planned to be built as a pavilion in
Ankara, on the way to Turkey, there was a new directive
that it be sent instead to a site in Istanbul. However the
wall was not to be installed either in Ankara or Istanbul or
ever again. After being left in boxes in Sirkeci Train Station for a period, the mosaic and other parts of pavilion
were thought to be abandoned in Gülhane Park. Nevertheless it was looted and disappeared after a short period
of time. In 1960, the architects of the Pavilion brought this
situation to light which confirmed by the Milliyet newspaper in 1963. However, something that was not known
at the time was that part of the Bedri Rahmi wall had already been looted
and later set-up in September 1960 as the decoration for the first international trade fair of the Republic of Cyprus. That a large portion of the wall was
brought to Cyprus today has been proven by Sidestreets, and that this wall
was preserved in the Embassy of Turkey in Cyprus and by the Turkish Army
Regiment here.
Where did you find the mosaic in Cyprus?
Working on some rumors and leads, we initially found pieces in the Embassy
of the Republic of Turkey ın Cyrpus and in the social facility in the Turkish Army
regiment here. If we think that the start of the search and identity of this
lost work started in Cyprus, yes, this is a loss for Turkey. Awareness here is
important. Later after showing the public the found pieces of the mosaic an
awareness was created and the mosaic “appeared”.
Is there a subject to Bedri Rahmi’s mosaic and if so what is it?
Bedri Rahmi’s mosaic is in fact a synthesis of almost all of his works. Here,
instead of a single subject, we see a narration that combines a number of
themes into one in a collage format . But in a style typical to Bedri Rahmi,
on the surface of the mosaic, there is a temporal and spatial filtering of the
different cultures of traditional Anatolia depicted in various scenes in an
abstract way. Although there are some formal reservations with regard to the
way these images are artistically represented, the fact that this art work was
made using mosaic gives us some important clues.
What is the size of the mosaic?
The mosaic is 50 cm wide, 227 cm high, consisting of over 200 panels, 50
meters long on both sides of a wall covering a total area of 227 m2. Starting
from the exterior this wall which is the basis of the Pavilion’s architecture in
relating the building’s two cubic volumes goes through the center of the first
volume and comes out the other side to continue and transform into the interior wall of the second volume.
KASIM-ARALIK 2010 • NATURA 41