The task of getting to know Arts Alive banner artists in order to represent them to the public is proving to be an extreme pleasure.Their stories never fail to fascinate, as was confirmed by a recent meeting with Arts Alive banner artists Rasim and Humeyra Konyar.Natives of Istanbul, Turkey, the Oceanside couple were drawn to participate in the Encinitas banner project by the inclusive nature of the community event.
With a degree in graphics from the Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul, Rasim initially came to the U.S. to attend film school at the School of Visual Arts in New York, later transferring to San Diego State’s masters program.
As his graduating project he wrote a screenplay telling the story of a fictional Turkish migrant family in Germany, which the German Film Board chose to finance as a feature-length film. He directed the production of the film in Berlin, which was subsequently shown in the Cannes, Hoff, and Berlin film festivals.
Rasim’s sculptures and paintings have been shown at distinguished venues such as the New York Consulate, as well as exotic locations including Athens, Izmir, Ankara, and Istanbul. He has produced major commissions and his works are in the collections of the Turkish Presidential Residence, Akbank, Garanti Bank and the Istanbul Stock Exchange.
Rasim returned to live in Turkey from 1992 to 2009, where he met and married his talented wife Humeyra, who was an accomplished art director, writer and journalist living and working in Istanbul.
Humeyra had received her journalism degree at the University of Journalism and Telecommunication in Istanbul, where she was born and raised.
As an Oceanside resident, Humeyra has continued to publish cultural books and monthly magazines in Turkey by returning to their Istanbul home frequently as well as sending files electronically.
Each year the couple collaborates on the production of exquisite books of their homeland for the Turkish association of tourism. Humeyra designs the layout and writes all of the text, while Rasim photographs and edits all of the images. They strike a perfect balance in the collaboration.
Rasim’s serious art career motivated Humeyra to begin painting in 2009, and her work has been juried into shows at the San Diego Art Department. Of her Arts Alive banner entitled “MAZE,” on display in front of Solace on E Street, Humeyra muses, “Each maze contains a voyage within. Reflections and reality hide in the voyager’s memories.”
Rasim’s banner “TRAMPOLINE” can be seen in front of Lotus Cafe in the Lumberyard. Of its message he states sympathetically, “As a nation, we are going through some tough economic times. Many individuals and families are experiencing it as if they are in a free-fall. As an artist, I felt like visualizing their plight.”
A collection of Rasim’s dynamic bronze sculptures will be on exhibit at the Civic Center Gallery of the Encinitas City Hall from April 19 to May 30. His additional work may be seen on his website at rasimkonyar.com.
Kay Colvin is an art consultant and director of the L Street Fine Art Gallery in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. She specializes in promoting emerging and mid-career artists and bringing enrichment programs to elementary schools through The Kid’s College. Contact her at [email protected].
