A well-known painter in Turkey: "Art galleries, museums, auctions, and collectors are the addresses with which a painter should make contact"

Turan: Let us take a tour of your art life in Turkey…

Karaca: I was born in 1956 in Georgia. I came to Istanbul in 1992. I was unable to contain myself for exactly 1 week, I couldn't find a place for myself, and I thought I wouldn't be able to stay here. Every day I went to the bus station and looked for a bus to return to Georgia, where I was born, but I couldn't find one. Finally, I jumped into a new field, believing that my destiny was shaped here. Today, as my name is well known in the Turkish painting market, it can be said that I have followed the right path toward my goal. I still retain the same excitement I had 30 years ago: the excitement needed to perform art that will be valued in the Turkish art market...

Turan: On what criteria did you build your life as an artist: did you prefer to work with galleries, museums, and collectors, sticking to the independence of your personality, or to become a teacher anywhere?

Karaca: My artistic personality was in the foreground for me. There should be no other way for a true artist. I chose this way. My 30-year artistic life in Turkey confirmed once again that this path is the only right path for all creative people in the world. I worked with galleries, museums, and collectors. Although it is far from modesty, I can happily say that I am one of the most sought-after Turkish artists at auctions. I owe it to my 30 years of artistic pains, searches, thoughts, and devotion to my philosophy. The fact that I never betray my brush is my greatest asset. I made a living only by selling my paintings.

Turan: Considering the competition in the Turkish painting market, we see how you have gone through difficult stages. İbrahim Safi, Naci Kalmıkoğlu, and even Selim Turan, who came from Paris and opened exhibitions in Turkey, passed the same stage before you. I say this because the standards of the Turkish painting market are in a sense getting closer to the standards of the world market. To what do you owe finding a place for yourself in such a big competition?

Karaca: Spending at least 10 hours a day in the studio should be the living norm of every painter. Sometimes we are surprised: there are people who think they are creating art by flattering someone. How can this be? After all, the criterion of art is work. How can one become an artist by flattering someone? It is not for nothing that they say that creative people pave the way for their communities. How to pave the way for the community by flattery?

Turan: In 1999, President Süleyman Demirel gave 100 people the title of "State Artist". Artist Mehmet Güleryüz appealed to the court that the duty of the state is not to create discrimination between artists, but to keep everyone at the same distance. The court annulled the decision...

Karaca: I remember well. Some of the artists, especially Sezen Aksu, rejected the honorary title from the beginning. They also gave it to comedian Levent Kırca, Levent bey did not consider that name important at all. I painted a portrait of Levent Kırca, and he couldn't hide his excitement when he saw the painting. For me, the excitement of Levent Kırca is higher than all honorary titles. In Turkey, painters establish their relations not with the state, but with galleries, museums, auctions, and exchange ideas with collectors. Galleries and collectors are constantly knocking on my door because I base my relationships on the criterion of freedom. The fact that my paintings are sold at auctions at ever-increasing prices is both my financial and moral gain. You know that in Western countries, they don't buy paintings from artists who don't work freely. The same criterion exists in Turkey as well. When a collector wants to buy a work, first of all, he looks to see if the artist works somewhere. Paintings by freelance artists who spend time in their studios are always valued. I see that honorary titles are very important in Azerbaijan. I don't understand: why should I expect financial compensation for my creativity not from the gallery, museum, or collector, but from the state? Leaving behind a quarter of the 20th century, it is not for me to still lean towards an honorary title and wear a medal around my collar. And as a freelance artist, I am very happy with the place I hold in the art environment of Turkey. If someone talks about honorary titles here, they will laugh.

Turan: We know that a book containing your works was published years ago. Did the book play an important role in making you better known as an artist?

Karaca: Of course, it happened. As in the West, the presence of an artist's book is considered an important factor in Turkey. My book also helped me a lot to be recognized by a wider circle of collectors. The book is also a factor that shows the seriousness of the artist.

Turan: Are there any formulas for success for you?

Karaca: For me, the art of painting is always united with the art of words. It is impossible for me to create paintings without reading works of art. Nobel laureate William Faulkner said in one of his interviews that the formula for being a truly creative person is 99% talent, 99% discipline, and 99% hard work. I defend the same position. Sometimes I met the dawn at the point where the Bosphorus of Istanbul opens to the Black Sea. Hundreds of times I opened my study bag and worked outside in the winter snow. I have never deviated from my work discipline. Otherwise, how can I capture the thousand and one colors in the air? According to me, painting is the most difficult art. If you work with colors, you have to catch them live, and to catch them live, you should not sit in a studio. It is very difficult. But there is no other way to be a true artist.

Turan: Who do you feel close to in Turkish art? Both in terms of your view of art and your style.

Karaca: Turkish painting art is about 200 years old and many important artists have come and gone. Nazmi Ziya, Naci Kalmıkoğlu, and İbrahim Safi are schools for me. İbrahim Safi, who was born in Nakhchivan in 1898, came to Istanbul in 1918. Until his death in May 1983, he painted about 15,000 paintings. Safi also often worked in nature and never missed discipline. In my opinion, every artist who can capture the ever-changing colors of nature and transfer them to his canvas is happy. I believe that I have succeeded to some extent. I have never said, "I have conquered the peak", and I will never say it. If any man with a brush in his hand utters that word, be sure that his art is exhausted, and so is he. Every day when I step in front of the canvas again, it's as if I start learning everything from scratch. According to me, a creative person should always be in struggle with himself. Thinking, thinking, thinking, reading more, being more alone, and dedicating myself to art are my main criteria and I will not give up until I die.