The world’s most respected puppeteers gathered in Büyükçekmece!
The exhibition featuring 85 puppets from 16 different countries has been opened.
As part of the 25th International Istanbul Buyukcekmece Culture and Art Festival, the opening of the International Puppet Workshop Exhibition, which brings together the most exceptional examples of puppetry from around the world, created with the creativity and effort of world-renowned puppet artists, took place.
The exhibition, featuring 85 puppets from 16 different countries, was inaugurated by Buyukcekmece Mayor Dr. Hasan Akgün at the Atatürk Cultural Center..
The exhibition includes puppets dating from the 19th century to the present day
The World Puppets Exhibition, featuring puppets dating from the 19th century to the present day, garnered significant interest from art enthusiasts. Following the opening of the International Puppet Workshop Exhibition, curated by Cengiz Özek, renowned puppet artists from around the world who participated in the festival, including Cheung Chun Fai from Hong Kong, Gianluca Di Matteo from Italy, Toni Zafra from Spain, Diego Ugalde from Mexico, Jose Navarro from Peru, and Ercan Sönmez from Turkey, presented magnificent puppet performances that left the audience with unforgettable moments. At the finale of the evening, Buyukcekmece Mayor Dr. Hasan Akgün presented plaques to Puppet Festival Creator Cengiz Özek and the artists who came from around the world to showcase puppetry at the festival. He congratulated each of them individually.
“A festival that activates adventurous feelings and impulses’’ Cengiz Özek, the Creator of the Puppet Festival, stated that everyone participating in the festival, from big to small, can get to know the puppets up close. He said, ‘I have taken on the role of creator for this year’s Puppet Festival within the Istanbul Büyükçekmece Culture and Arts Festival. I have been involved in puppetry for 46 years. When you say puppet, people often think of children first. We need to know and witness that puppets also excite adults. These festivals lead us to these points. They can provide this excitement. Büyükçekmece Municipality’s organized festival is very exciting for people with its other branches and puppets, stimulating the exploratory and adventurous feelings and impulses within. As part of this year’s festival, we wanted to say ‘Hello’ to our audience with 7 groups from 6 different countries in the puppet section. Of course, in addition to the shows, our audience will be able to get to know the puppet more closely through workshop studies, both for adults and children, and they can also see the World Puppet Exhibition opened at the Atatürk Cultural Center, featuring 85 puppets from 16 different countries.’’
