İGART Art Projects Contest, which is the biggest award ever for art in Turkey, has come to an end. The winner of the contest with 1 million TL was Fatma Betül Kotil with her work "SAYA's Voice". The award was presented to Kotil with a ceremony that was held at iGA Istanbul Airport. The art piece is designed to be on the lower ceiling surface of the viaduct at the metro exit, and it's set to be completed around the summer months.

By gathering the cultural and art activities in iGA Istanbul Airport under one roof, İGART, with the leadership of Painter and Academician Prof. Dr Hüsamettin Koçan, carries on its work with the participation of honourable members from all areas of architecture and art. Withing İGART, the first of the "İGART Art Projects Contest" series, which was established with the goals of supporting young artists and paving the way for more art in our country, was announced in September. The contest was aimed to appeal to young Turkish artists and groups under the age of 35. 221 projects have been submitted. The contest did not have any thematic or stylistic limitations other than the definition of the venue.

After the reviewing of the panel of the contest, which consisted of İGART Chairman of Executive Committee Prof. Dr. Hüsamettin Koçan, Members of İGART Executive Committee Deniz Odabaş, Prof. Dr. Gülveli Kaya, Prof. Dr. Marcus Graf, Mehmet Ali Güveli, Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Nazlı Pektaş, as well as sculpturers Seyhun Topuz and Seçkin Pirim, the finalists have been announced. While artists with the nicknames Fatma Betül Kotil, Zafer Ali Akşit and Celaset went to the finals, the winner of the contest was Kotil with "SAYA's Voice".

"The world will hear SAYA's Voice from Istanbul"

The winning artwork was announced with a ceremony held at iGA İstanbul Airport where the grand prize was presented to the artist. Having spoken at the ceremony, CEO of iGA Istanbul Airport Kadri Samsunlu mentioned the important role works of culture and art have in turning Istanbul Airport into a hub that the guest will want to revisit. Samsunlu: ”The works, that are carried out within İGART to this day and the days to come, are very valuable in terms of the buildings having souls and personalities. We are looking forward to having all the designated venues in the contest series merge with artworks. After the first contest that has been resulted today, similar works will be carried out for 16 other pre-determined places at the airport. We are happy to blend İstanbul Airport with art to such a degree and provide sustainable support that opens new spaces for the artists. To work for the global hub airport that is iGA Istanbul Airport, to know that the artwork will reach many visitors from different countries and cultures for many years, is a extraordinary experience, especially for our young artists. I congratulate all the contestants for this brave step and thank them for their valuable contribution. I thank the creator of the project, Fatma Betül Kotil, who came first and whose work will be installed soon, for creating this project that will live with us. The world will hear SAYA's Voice from Istanbul.”

“İGART is an open door of opportunities for artists”

The Chairman of the İGART Executive Board, Prof. Dr. Hüsamettin Koçan pointed out the importance of the innovative projects that iGA wants to carry into effect in areas of arts and culture Koçan remarked, "It's really important to offer opportunities to independent artists through mechanisms like İGART Art Projects where artists can easily submit and access. I think this futuristic perspective has an important role in promoting art, creating new opportunities and providing areas for more artists to work. İGART, by creating a longed open door that creates opportunities for artists in our country, has fulfilled an important role that is privileged and large-scaled for our art history and it will keep carrying this out with more contests that are planned for 16 different areas. Fatma Betül Kotil in particular, I congratulate every young artist who participated and opened that door today."

"Saya is our voice"

The creator of the winning project Fatma Betül Kotil has expressed her excitement as xxxx and explained the story of the project further: "Saya is a well-accepted word, especially in Balıkesir. It's a closed area where cattles and small cattles are fed, stay protected and it's also where they sleep. In necessary cases, families stay there with the animals. "Going to the Saya" is an expression in the colloquial language. When lambs give birth they stay at Saya. When the baby in the womb of the pregnant sheep is hundred days old shepherds hold a "Saya" ceremony. Saya is our voice... I'm very happy this voice will reach thousands of visitors."

The cost of the application is covered by iGA.

In addition to the 1 million Liras worth of royalty rate that will be given to the creator of the winning project, it's announced that the installation cost will be covered by iGA Istanbul Airport. For more information on İGART Art Projects Contest, you can visit https://igaart.istanbul/en/.