OzU Art Collection Moves to Digital Platform with A New Perspective

Extraordinary Conditions and Art

Challenges, small or big, always face us, and will continue to do so. The extraordinary conditions we go through globally these days is only one of these challenges. In overcoming these challenges, art helps us to take a moment, take a breath, and take us away from these challenges even for briefly to refresh ourselves. However, art plays a far more superior role than this: With its multi-faceted and global nature, art is an important tool to understand and make sense of complicated problems... In questioningthe sustainability of our conventional life styles, art can be more motivating than statistics, graphics, or data...

Over the centuries, when faced with numerous periodically occurring problems, from wars to uprisings, disasters to epidemics, different cultures and artists have expressed their fight through art. Art can move beyond data and clarify what is hard or too hazy to grasp.  Blending both rational and emotional expression, it is powerful enough to build a strong dialogue and inspire society to take an action. That power is perhaps what we need now as we never did before.  We will overcome these days one way or another. But then what?

Sustainability and the Role of Art

As our agenda and priorities are rapidly changing in this period, thinking about the future or taking action for the sustainability of the future may seem difficult to us. But that said, we know that, when we welcomed in 2020, we also entered the Decade of Action to act together to find a solution for our complicated global problems which are classified under the overarching term of “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDG).  Maybe it is time to act with a brand new set of actions. Art has the power to expand people’s hearts, minds, and imagination as it moves beyond the everyday data/statistics, shining a light on the underlying emotions, pains, and conflicts behind each SDG.  That’s why art has become and will remain one of the most important universal communication toolshelping us take action for a sustainable future. One of the main hubs of art working towards this goal is Cultura21.  Dr. Sacha Kagan, one of the leading names of the network, states that in order to solve the problem of unsustainability, one needs to see the different dimensions of this problem and the ruthless cycles in which we are trapped.  Over the coming days, as our conventional life styles and stereotyped cultural structures are being destroyed to build a new sustainable socio-cultural environment, we will need this insight and intuition more than ever.

OzU Uni-Art Collection

Under the current circumstances, Özyeğin University Art Collection now carries a more special meaning both on an individual and institutional level. Although most of the time, we just pass by it, totally oblivious of its existence, the extensive collection made up of 152 works of art plays an important role at our University, for it serves as a platform of discussion to expand our thoughts and feelings. The collection will soon be made available online on the UNI-ART website. During our stay-home days, this will offer a great opportunity to us to take a glimpse at our University art collection as well as the greatest works of art from all around the world in order to recognize and take strength from the refreshing and developing power of art.

As the OzU SP, to take strength from the refreshing power of art, and its ability to aim needed criticisms, in our efforts to build a sustainable future, we have also started to work towards getting to know and understanding our Uni-Art collection better. To this end, we are interpreting works of art from our Uni-Art collection and all around the world at our @ozu_yaklas Instagram accounts with an emphasis on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in recognition of the current global problem we are faced with. Also, over the coming days, all of OzU’s 152-piece mix-art collection will be made available online at the Uni-Art website which we are currently working on. We hope that this collective art movement will grow larger with your contributions and offer a new opportunity for dialogue among us through art.