PAU Faculty Member Opens a Solo Exhibition with Her 3-year-old Son in the Mansion Where She Was Born and Raised

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Koyuncu Okca, who has signed meaningful social responsibility projects in Denizli and across the country, opened a personal weaving exhibition called "Beginning" in Mavi Konak in Çivril-Center, where she was born in 1980 and grew up until the age of 15, and since the opening of the exhibition coincided with April 23rd National Sovereignty and Children's Day, she also included the works of her son Mehmet Ege Okca, raising the question of whether a new artist is growing in her mother's footsteps.

In the exhibition, which was opened by Çivril Mayor Niyazi Vural and included 10 woven works, the motifs in traditional weavings, one of the important building blocks of Turkish culture, were transformed into works of art within the scope of today's aesthetic understanding in different ways and presented to the appreciation of art lovers.

The "Beginning" exhibition, the first exhibition of 3-year-old son Mehmet Ege Okca, included 22 paintings. With the exhibition of the mother and son with the same name, the son stepped into the art life in the mansion where his mother started her life.

During the opening of the exhibitions, traditional weavings produced in Gürpınar Neighborhood and Özdemirci Neighborhood within the scope of the project carried out by Pamukkale University and Çivril Municipality under the coordination of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Koyuncu Okca were also exhibited in the garden of the Blue Mansion.

Little Artist Steps into Art Life

Mehmet Ege Okca stepped into his art life with the solo exhibition he opened at the age of 3 in the mansion where his mother was born and raised.

Born in 2020 in Denizli, the little artist opened his solo exhibition, which he and his mother Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Koyuncu Okca named "Beginning", on April 23. What made this exhibition also meaningful was the place where the exhibition was opened. The Blue Mansion, the mansion where her mother was born and grew up until the age of 15 and which has become the symbol of Çivril, hosted two different solo exhibitions.

In her academic studies, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Koyuncu Okca focuses especially on culture, Yoruk culture, traditional weavings, traditional professions that are about to disappear and the protection and preservation of cultural heritage. The artist, who tries to draw attention to social problems in her artistic works, has chosen to raise awareness of the society as her aim. She has national and international solo exhibitions, national and international group exhibitions, articles published in Turkey and abroad, and many papers presented at national and international symposiums and congresses. She also works as a researcher and consultant in design centers.