Mahmut CELAYİR

Mahmut Celayir was born in 1951 in the village of Kur in Bingöl. He spent his childhood in this village, where harsh natural conditions prevailed, and witnessed tribal conflicts and deaths. He began primary school in his village and continued his education in Elazığ. He attended Tunceli High School as a boarding student. During those years, in addition to painting, he developed an interest in literature at the suggestion of his teachers and started a school newspaper. His drawings were published in an art and literature magazine in Istanbul. In 1972, he began his art education at the Istanbul State School of Applied Fine Arts. During his studies, he focused particularly on printmaking and engraving and won several awards. Between 1976 and 1978, he worked on studio sets and graphic title sequences for television broadcasting training programmes established at Anadolu University in Eskişehir under a Turkish-German agreement. Celayir held his first exhibition at Taksim Art Gallery in 1977 and worked as a stage designer at the Istanbul State Theatre from 1982 to 1984. In 1982, he won the grand prize in the DYO painting competition. He held exhibitions in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir, and one of his works was acquired by the State Painting and Sculpture Museum. From 1986 onwards, Celayir turned his attention to Germany and eventually settled there, leaving behind the oppressive atmosphere of September 12. In 1987, he held his first exhibition in Germany at Galerie Oberlicht in Berlin. In Stuttgart, he established a studio called Atelierhaus Nordbahnhof together with other German artists and continued his artistic practice there until 2010. As a member of the BBK German Artists’ Association, he took part in several collaborative projects. He exhibited in private galleries and city museums, participated in art fairs, and his works were acquired by the state Ministry of Culture.  Celayir, who settled in Istanbul in 2010, continues his artistic practice at his studio there and, during the summer months, at his studio in Kur Village in Bingöl.