Description
Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart is presenting the first comprehensive retrospective of the Turkish painter and opera singer Semiha Berksoy (1910–2004) in Germany. Berksoy studied at the Hochschule für Musik [Music Academy] in Berlin from 1936 to 1939, and enjoyed a distinguished career as a visual artist and an opera singer. Spanning over six decades, the exhibition focusses on Berksoy’s connection with Berlin, and explores the intersection of her two passions, emphasizing her unique, spontaneous, and bold approach to painting. It introduces central themes in Berksoy’s practice: the attachment to her mother, the painter Fatma Saime, the ideological ties with Turkish cultural figures such as poet Nâzım Hikmet, her iconic opera roles, and the places and events that defined her prolific career. With more than 80 paintings and works on paper, along with a wide array of archival documents, film clips, and sound recordings, the exhibition highlights Berksoy’s significant impact on the cultural landscape in Türkiye and beyond. This is the second edition of a series of publications accompanying major retrospectives of contemporary artists at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart. It comprises a number of new and historical texts on Semiha Berksoy, reproductions of all works exhibited as well as installation shots.
CONTENTS
Semiha Berksoy: A Retrospective at Hamburger Bahnhof
Sam Bardaouil
Installation shots
A Person of Passion and Art: Semiha Berksoy
Deniz Pehlivaner Gündüz (İstanbul Modern)
Reclaiming Personal Myths: Semiha Berksoy at the Crossroads of Artistic Expression and the Formation of Modern Türkiye
Ayşe Güngör
When Naxos Burned No More – An Ode to Semiha Berksoy
Sam Bardaouil
Works in the Exhibition
Semiha Berksoy’s Time in Berlin 1936 – 1942
Anmerkungen zusammengestellt von/Annotations compiled by Agnes Rameder
Anthology of Historical Texts
A Star is born in Darülbedayi 1931
A Bravo for Semiha Berksoy
M. Turhan, 1939
Berlin Music
Fritz Stege, 1939
State artists, we welcome you!
Vedat Nedim Tör, 1941
After 10 years, the prima donna is once again appearing as Tosca
Şahap Balcioğlu, 1951
Semiha Berksoy’s 30th anniversary as an artist
Perihan Çambel, 1963
Narrated with Painterly Symbols: Semiha Berksoy’s Works at Haus am Lützowplatz
ka, 1969
The first Turkish opera
Doğan Hızlan, 1986
The Berksoy Room
Dieter Ronte, 2000
Interview with Semiha Berksoy
Hans Ulrich Obrist, 2003
Her greatest work was herself
Cem Erciyes, 2004
Arias in Defiance of Death
David Hesse, 2004
Bedrooms in Excess: Feminist Strategies Used by Tracey Emin and Semiha Berksoy
Gülsüm Baydar, 2012
Semiha Berksoy: Wall of Hallucination
HG Masters, 2016
Biography
Compiled by Emily Finkelstein
Imprint
Acknowledgements
Photo Credits
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