Mahmut Celayir

Born in 1951 in Bingol, Mahmut Celayir currently lives and works between Berlin and Istanbul. The artist studied Stage Design in State Academy of Applied Fine Arts, Istanbul. He continued his studies in Graphic and Stage Design in Eskişehir and in Istanbul State Theatre. 

Since 1977, the artist has participated in multiple solo and group exhibitions and fairs internationally. Celayir’s grand scale paintings were also presented at Mardin Biennial in 2018. 

‘’The paintings produced by Mahmut Celayir from the 1970s to the present form series that complement each other conceptually, but also show stages of aesthetic change.

It is a general view that landscapes are defined as the historical and current identity indicator of countries in terms of political, economic and cultural aspects. In the historical context, we can reach the characteristics and identities of the civilisations and cultures in question with the landscape paintings created from cave paintings to the present day. When these identities are reached, the historical knowledge and memory of the landscapes in question can also be explained.

In this respect, it is possible to characterise the landscapes of Celayir as the visual material of a historical, cultural and social structure.’’

Beral Madra, January 2018