This year’s Turkish Community Art Exhibition has opened for viewing at the Yunus Emre Institute in London. The exhibition features 70 pieces of art by 49 Turkish artists in Britain, including two extraordinary works by Hanife Kiatip.
Hanife, known as ‘Hanni’ to family and friends, is a Turkish Cypriot artist who has the challenge of living life with extreme athetoid cerebral palsy. She is a permanent wheelchair user and is non-verbal. Due to her condition, Hanni needs two carers to support her with every aspect of her daily life.
Despite her condition, Hanni loves life and understands everything going on around her – in three different languages. Hanni’s carers describe her as “very sharp”.
Hanni’s “sensitivity, happiness and frustrations are expressed throughout her art.” As an artist, she loves to use her hands to create large abstract pieces on canvas, with two on show at this year’s Turkish Community Art Exhibition.
The London-based artist attended the gala opening of the exhibition at the Institute on 5 May, posing for photos by her artwork, and attracting the attention of the many able-bodied artists and guests present, who were in awe at her talent and creativity given her challenging condition.
Hanni’s two pieces on display are called “Freedom of Light 1” (pictured top) and “Freedom of Light 3”. Both artworks are acrylic paintings on canvas, the first measuring 76 x 76 cm, and the second smaller piece sized 53 x 43 cm.
Both are abstract works, which were painstakingly created by Hanni over a six-month period using her hands in an unconventional way to paint on canvas.
You can view artwork by Hanni’s and the other artists on show at the 5th edition of the Turkish Community Art Exhibition in person at the Yunus Emre Institute in London or online. Click here for more details.
