Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, who spread the enthusiasm of the centennial of the establishment of Izmir to the whole city with art Tunç Soyeropened the “From Occupation to Liberation Exhibition” compiled from the archive of Hanri Benazus, a collector of Atatürk photographs. Emphasizing that the future should be built by understanding the memory of the past at the opening of the exhibition, President Soyer said, “We learn a lot from the spark on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's face.”
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality opened the photography exhibition “From Occupation to Liberation” compiled from Hanri Benazus' archive as part of the celebrations of the 9th anniversary of Izmir's liberation on September 100th. Opened at the art gallery of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality's Konak Metro Station, the exhibition was prepared with a selection of 20 thousand works donated to Izmir Metropolitan Municipality by Hanri Benazus, who is known for his books about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his collection of thousands of photographs of Atatürk.
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor attended the opening of the exhibition. Tunç Soyer and his wife Neptün Soyer, Konak Mayor Abdül Batur, Hanri Benazus, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Ertuğrul Tugay, İzmir National Library Foundation President Ulvi Puğ, İzmir business world representatives, artists and academics, representatives of non-governmental organizations, headmen and many art lovers joined.
100-year legacy from occupation to liberation
President Tunç Soyer He visited the exhibition from beginning to end and signed the memorial wall, which includes the frames of the independence struggle that started on May 15, 1919, and the liberation struggle under the leadership of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, which ended on September 9, 1922. Hundreds of photographs were exhibited in the exhibition, from Atatürk to the commanders of the War of Independence, from congresses to newspaper clippings of the period, to the liberation of İzmir from the occupation. The exhibition will be presented to the people of Izmir until 30 November 2022.
“We cannot build the future without bringing that memory to light”
Speaking after the exhibition tour, President Soyer conveyed the impression of the Victory Road started from Afyon Kocatepe in honor of the 100th anniversary. President Soyer said, “We live in such an age of speed that life flows like something that starts and ends with us. However, there is a great past behind it and a great future. How can you build the future without bringing that memory to light? You have to refresh and remember that memory. Reading, hearing, listening is one thing, but there is also seeing. We owe it to the very precious Hanri Benazus. Since 1947, he has collected over 20 thousand photographs from all over the world, found and removed them. We learn a lot from the spark on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's face in every photograph we look at, from the expression on the faces of our ancestors. We refresh that memory. I received the greatest gift of my life from him. We are proud of him,” he said.
“If I hadn't given the collection to the Metropolitan, it would have been wasted”
Speaking at the opening, Hanri Benazus said, “My dear president is the person who relieved me of the greatest burden. If I had not delivered this collection to the Metropolitan Municipality, it would have been wasted. God gave me the opportunity to see the salvation of Izmir. I founded this collection, but the exhibition belongs to the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality”.
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