2.12. Culture, Art and Sports

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Çanakkale Victory and Çanakkale Land Battles, with a special selection from its collection, the CBRT held the exhibition “From Red to Blue: Contemporary Turkish Painting” in Çanakkale from 18 March through 25 May 2015. Masterpieces by various Turkish masters were presented in the Çanakkale Ceramics Museum (the Müstahkem Mevki Er Bathhouse built in 1905) on the Centennial of the Battle of Gallipoli. The exhibition hada conceptually original theme displaying a metaphoric approach to the Centennial of the war. The colors of the exhibition were dominant red and blue and strategically very important. The exhibition was comprised of outstanding works by Turkish artists and presented a comparative display of classic, modern and contemporary examples of Turkish paintings. The unique works chosen were presented in an exhibition space providing a passage showing the development and change in Turkish art in an intellectually conceptual theme. A special catalogue was published in Turkish/English to document the exhibition for future reference.

Marking the enduring political, economic, cultural and diplomatic relations and close cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey, the CBRT held the exhibition entitled “Imagination, Place and Time in Contemporary Turkish Painting” in Azarbaijan in the Baku Heydar Aliyev Center between the dates 13 May and 31 July 2015. This comprehensive exhibition in Baku opened to debate the nature of artistic development that intensified in the Republican era, and in particular, the distinctive interpretations created by the imagination as seen through the lens of place and time. By focusing on the depth of thought and creative potential of Turkish artists from 1950 onwards, it pointed to the differences of perception and interpretation that ensued. A special catalogue was published in Turkish/English/Azerbaijanese to document the exhibition for future reference.

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Çanakkale Victory, the Bank also brought a book project including three CDs that introduced such a unique and comprehensive archive in which each peace constituted an evidence of the history and was made of folk songs, ghazals, lullabies, hymns, odes, and poems about Çanakkale, entitled “THE LEGEND OF ÇANAKKALE in Memory of the 100th Anniversary of the Victory” into fruition.

Within the scope of the cultural activities held at the 2015 G-20 Antalya Summit hosted by Turkey on 15-16 November 2015, the CBRT showcased the exhibition, “Calligraphy – Ebru (Marbling) – Sedefkârlık (Mother-of-Pearl Inlay)” featuring a selection of works from the Bank’s Art Collection. The exhibition displayed works of art by inlay artist Salih Balakbabalar and marbling master Alparslan Babaoğlu on the theme of calligraphy.

In the context of sporting activities, the CBRT hosted the 9th traditional “Interbank Chess Tournament” with participation from local banks in İstanbul on 5 December 2015. The Bank teams attended ”Euro Bridge” in Spain, “Euro Tennis” in Greece, “Euro Table-Tennis” in Germany, “Euro Volleyball” and “Euro Hiking” in Belgium, organized by the central banks that are members of the Sports and Cultural Associations of the European Central Banks and also the “11th Regional Central Banks Sports Tournament” hosted by the Bank of Slovenia in the branches of basketball, chess, and swimming. “Euro Football 2015” was held in Antalya by the CBRT in October 2015.