The use of earth, fiber and glass has been a part of the craft tradition in Anatolia for several thousand years. Examples such as vessels dating back to 6000-7000 BC can be seen in museums today. The Hittites used baked clay tablets for their cuneiform writing. It is interesting to note that, in time, writing was transferred from ceramic to paper which was manufactured with fiber from plants.

Using fiber, the first mature examples of textile techniques like weaving, felting, and mat weaving appeared in the Near East in the Neolitic Age when wo(man) started dealing with animal domestication and agriculture. Ceramic art continued in traditional pottery forms and bricks, later as decorative tiles. With the rapid industrial development in the 19th century handcrafts were pushed aside as mass production spreaded out. Soon after, as new demands and aesthetic concerns emerged, design gained importance, designers became a necessity. Art schools opened one after the other. Traditional media and materials were closely examined and reassessed. In the twentieth century they gained new esteem and were integrated as sophisticated vehicles of free expression into contemporary art. The first of the “Earth and Fiber” exhibitions was held at Ankara State Museum of Painting and Sculpture in 1992. My aim in organizing such an exhibit for Sanart’92 Symposium (on identity and space) was to introduce new approaches and interpretations of artists who are using traditional media. Coming from different origins and traditions (from Far-East to South America, from Anatolia to Scandinavia) seeked links between cultural heritage, their identity and contemporary expression in their works of art. The second “Earth and Fiber” was organized in Gallery Apel purpously at the turn of the millenium. The third was held in 2002, the fourth in 2004, the fifth in 2007. “Earth and Fiber 2018” is also visually and conceptually determined by these age old materials and their contemporary derivatives. Contributing artists are; Cem Aydoğan, Aydan Baktır, Ramazan Bayrakoğlu, Zeynep Birced, Sakine Çil, Canan Dağdelen, Artin Demirci, Dilek Demirci, Leyla Dilmen, Aslımay Altay Göney, Çağıl Harmandar, Şirin İskit, Kurucu Koçanoğlu, Sevil Koçanoğlu, Leyla Sakpınar, Emre Senan, Elvan Serin, Yıldız Şermet, Bahadır Yıldız Nuran Terzioğlu