Founder and first artist of the Deepism in Art movement Yücel Dönmez By. Hulya Kupcuoglu Art Critic Vizon Monthly Painter Yücel Dönmez has been living in Chicago for many years. He is the founder of the Deepism movement, which holds that there is no room for the unknown in the new century, that from everyday life to art, the depth of any area is easy to discover. You were prepared to undress for the sake of art I have done many things for my country and for my art, and will continue to do so. If what I do today is now being accepted by the rest of the world, it is a result of the cumulated knowledge achieved through 25 years of hard work. Dali had to cut of half of his moustache in order to explain surrealism. These photographs act as my references. If they ask me why I did it, I have so much to say! What kind of artist are you? A real artist, in my opinion, is someone who can see 20 years into the future. In 1970s, when there was no such thing as installations, I sculpted rocks to make statues in the Kaçkar Mountains in 1975, giving them the name, “The art of organising nature”. It was much discussed in the Turkish media and finally decided that it was superfluous. Years later, installations became suddenly popular in the 1990s. Similarly, in 1974, I had my first snow painting in Uludağ. Artists nowadays get involved in art on the one hand, and politics on the other. I prefer to concentrate purely on my art. This is difficult in the States, as it is almost impossible to live off one’’s art. I received art funding from the American Federal Government for 11 years. Here in Turkey I have not even got the support of the press let alone the government. How long have you been painting? Since I was 8 years old. I won first place in Applied Fine Arts, where I studied sculpture in Hakki Karayiğıtoğlu’’s workshop. I was already painting by then, and had even had several small exhibitions in Erzurum. What made you decide to live in Chicago? When I worked as a skiing instructor during my school years, I would watch nature avidly. The rocks would draw my attention, and I would think that they were not where they deserved to be. I wanted to set them out differently. When I did the snow painting in the winter, people commented that a madman had painted the snow. There was no such thing as art in Turkey in those years. Only Yahşi Baraz had decided to open a gallery at the entrance of the Hilton Hotel. As I was talking to him about my rock project, we thought of placing rocks in front of tall buildings in Istanbul. I mentioned this project to Kuzgun Acar, he got extremely angry with me. He said, “They’’re going to think you’’re mad! Go and stay with your relatives in America and do your crazy projects there.” He influenced my decision to go to America. So you chose Chicago because your relatives were there? Yes, but Chicago is also one of the most important centres for art. You can’’t even nail a nail in where Millennium Park is. But I was allowed to do my snow painting there because of their huge support for art. Can you tell us a little about Deepism? Following WW1, the cubism movement began, and lines became apparent. Then came Pop-Art. But the effect of Deepism became more apparent in the 21st century. There is no mystery in any subject anymore. Everyone knows everything. Naturally Art is affected by this. This is what deepism is. I’’m the artist who gave that name to the movement. I started painting paintings related to this movement last summer. Deepism is a movement that knows no limits. It supports the notion, “Go as deep as you can”. What are you affected by? I live abroad but am affected by everything that happens in Turkey. That’’s why I try not to watch too much television, except the news and certain specific programs. I tried listening to Arabesque music once, while I was painting. The results were horrendous, and what’’s more, I started crying. I find I work very well to classical music, on the other hand. It’’s very soothing. An artist is like a scientist. His laboratory is his studio.