‘National Honor Awards’ Found Their Owners at the 5th International Feminenartfest

Üsküdar Üniversitesi hosted the 5th International Feminenartfest event, organized by the Faculty of Communication's Public Relations and Publicity Department and the Solution-Oriented Women's Issues Application and Research Center (ÜSÇÖZÜM). Many awards were presented within the scope of the event, which brought together women artists from various fields. This year, academics from Üsküdar also received national honor awards. Emphasizing the importance of coming together at Üsküdar Üniversitesi every year, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör stated that artists guide people. 

The art consultant for the event, held at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Central Campus Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall, was Tamer Levent, while the festival directors were Vedat Akdamar, Özlem Barlok, Şenay Akdamar, and Nihal Konçu Akhuy.

Within the scope of the event, which highlighted women's labor, national honor awards were presented to women who achieved success in various categories.

The opening speeches of the event were delivered by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör and Actor and Writer Tamer Levent.

Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör: “We teach, but you encourage creativity”

Delivering the opening speech of the event, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör spoke about the university's encouragement of artistic production alongside scientific education. Güngör stated; “It is a great pride for us to host such a wonderful group of artists, writers, thinkers, and intellectuals in this hall, under the roof of this university, over the years. You are the different, brighter, and enlightening face of Turkey. We teach, but you encourage creativity. You support the recognition, operation, and activation of that creative energy within a person, which is spontaneous but often remains passive. More precisely, you guide, show the way, and direct. For this reason, even your stepping into this place is a great pleasure for us. Even the breeze of creativity, light, and beauty warms our hearts. Therefore, we are very happy to be with you.”

Actor and Writer Tamer Levent: “When the concept of art comes to the agenda, we think it will save us”

Emphasizing that art is not just a profession but a critical way of life that resists the decline of social communication and directs people to analytical thinking, Actor and Writer Tamer Levent said; “When we ask what the concept of art means, the first thing that comes to mind is, ‘Art is emotion.’ But isn't there a brain, sir? People are surprised. As if when we say art, the brain doesn't work, only emotion moves. We are in an era where we begin to talk about the components of concepts like speech, behavior, and body language as art. However, in the age of artificial intelligence, we see it imitating the brain. We fear that in the future, people will consciously become robotic. That doubt is not about robots governing humans, but about humans tending to become robotic due to their inability to renew their thought systems. At that point, when the concept of art comes to the agenda, we think it will save us. From here, I wish for a light of art to spread to the world.”

‘National Honor Awards’ Found Their Owners

Successful women from many different fields such as theatre artists, academics, writers, and vocal artists received national honor awards.

Theater interpreter Suna Keskin, Eyüpsultan Municipality Culture, Art and Social Affairs Manager Sema İnci, writer Irmak Zileli, writer Burçak Gönül, İDOB Soloist Artist Perihan Diana Nayır, Necla Orhan in Photography, Public Relations Specialist Derya Özgören, Art collector Sibel Tümay Ateş, Vocal Artist/Interpreter Gonca Birol Bahar, Painter Halime Türkyılmaz, Project Engineer and Glass Artist Gülden Abacı, and TOÇEV Founding President Ebru Uygun were among the names deemed worthy of the award.

Awards Also Presented to Üsküdar Academics

At the ceremony, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Rector's Advisor Prof. Dr. Gökben Hızlı Sayar and Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Nejla Polat from the Faculty of Communication's Public Relations and Publicity Department were also deemed worthy of the national honor award. 

Prof. Dr. Feride Zeynep Güder, faculty member of the New Media and Communication Department, also presented the award to Vocal Artist and Interpreter Gonca Birol Bahar. 

Afterwards, Gonca Birol Bahar gave a mini-concert.

Prof. Dr. Gökben Hızlı Sayar Talked About the Great Value of Art

Rector's Advisor Prof. Dr. Gökben Hızlı Sayar, who was deemed worthy of the national honor award, extended her thanks and emphasized the great value of art.

Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Nejla Polat: “Art is an area of awareness and freedom”

Later, Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Nejla Polat, emphasizing that art is one of the most aesthetic ways of self-expression, said; “For women to educate themselves as conscious, sensible, and self-aware individuals contributes not only to the development of their individual identities but also to the society they live in. Because societies can rise with knowledge, culture, and art. Art is an area of awareness and freedom. It is one of the most aesthetic ways of self-expression. The integration of art into human life contributes to the formation of a contemporary, productive, liberal, and democratic structure in society. With the establishment of the democratic and secular Republic in our country, women have been able to find more space for themselves in the arts. Women who stand out in different branches of art have pioneered an important transformation not only in an aesthetic sense but also in a social sense.”

In addition, gift plaques were presented to dozens of other female artists who have achieved successful works.

Following the Exhibition, Tamer Levent Signed His Books for His Readers

Within the scope of the event, Nihal Konçu Akhuy's exhibition also met art lovers in the foyer area. Afterwards, Actor and Writer Tamer Levent signed his books for his readers.

The event concluded after a group photo session.