Hearing-Impaired Painter Portrayed The Voices Of His Dreams In His Portraits!
Bülent Kayatepe, a congenitally hearing-impaired painter living in Eskişehir, brought his exhibition titled “The Sound of Simalar”, in which he reflected the voices he imagined in his imagination to his portrait works through colors, to art lovers.
Kayatepe, 49, originally from Birecik, Şanlıurfa and a graduate of Anadolu University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Architecture, who has been living in Eskişehir, where he came for university education, for 26 years, decided to turn his art of painting, which he had been pursuing as an amateur since his childhood, into a professional art during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Kayatepe, who provided the necessary equipment and transferred the voices he visualized in his imagination to his canvas with oil and acrylic techniques inspired by the human faces in various art magazines and photographs he took, presented his 30 works he created with his 3-year effort to the taste of art lovers at the exhibition he opened at the Oda Art Gallery in the Historical Odunpazarı Houses District.
“I recommend every disabled person to engage in art”
Bülent Kayatepe, who works as an architect at Eskişehir Regional Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Assets, made evaluations to AA correspondent through Çiğdem Öztop, a sign language interpreter at Anadolu University.
Stating that he likes to paint human faces, Kayatepe reported that he usually works on colorful portraits.
Kayatepe, who stated that he decided to name the exhibition “The Sound of Faces” because he reflected the voices in his imagination to his works with different colors, continued as follows:
“I was doing small-scale works before, and people thought I was focusing on simple drawings. Everyone was surprised when they saw my paintings, they liked them very much. I opened the exhibition on the advice of my wife. This is a talent that comes from within. Other hearing-impaired friends also came to the exhibition. I was very touched and happy that the exhibition attracted attention. I recommend every disabled person to engage in art. I also want to organize workshops for the disabled.”
Kayatepe added that in the future she would like to do works that blend architecture and painting.
His wife, 47-year-old Betül Saide Kayatepe, who is hearing impaired from birth like the artist, stated that she was proud of her husband’s determination and emphasized the importance of disabled individuals expressing their feelings through art.
Özlem Kanat Örneksoy, the founder of Oda Art Gallery, stated that they will continue to support disabled artists.
