One mystery surrounding any “year” dedicated to a particular country is why the emphasis of the events tends to be placed more on the traditional aspects of that country than on its contemporary culture. Naturally, it's true that every culture has many things from its ancient past to be proud of. And it's also true that one's understanding of a country is surely enhanced by a firm knowledge of its history and traditions.
Yet if this tendency of such years still leaves you with question marks, a visit to the Turkey “Great Civilization and Art" exhibition should help to explain why it is so important to gain insight into the traditional culture of other countries.
The show, currently under way at Tokyo Suntory Museum of Art, displays a massive trove of artifacts from Istanbul 's Sadberk Hanim Museum , which was established in 1980 as Turkey 's first private museum. The exhibition kicked off its Japan tour a year ago in Fukuoka. The 621 items on show may not be sufficient in number to sum up the 7,000 year history of the country that straddles the divide between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. But this is compensated for by the sheer beauty of the ancient pots and urns included in the exhibition.
Orangey clay pots from 5000 B.C. eloquently speak of the level of sophistication of Anatolia, the peninsula that today constitutes the Asian portion of Turkey. Even though the pots were made without a potter's wheel, they are endowed with perfect forms, strengthened by vivid colors and unique patterns.
The exhibition also displays delightfully shaped glasses from the first to third centuries, and masterpieces from the Ottoman Empire (1299 - 1923): calligraphy, stunningly exquisite accessories, and embroidered cloths whose appearance and usage resemble that of furoshiki.
But while these items are extremely beautiful, they seem to lose their luster next to the energetic forms of the other pots. One ambitious section of the show is a demonstration of the coffee ceremony, whose function showing respect and hospitality to one's guests by going through a ritualistic process could be likened to the Japanese tea ceremony. In one corner of Suntory Museum are several mannequins clad in beautiful dresses from the 19th century, standing on a colorful Turkish carpet, showing what a coffee ceremony would look like.
According to an explanation given in the show's catalog, the ceremony starts with sweets, followed by coffee served in gorgeous cups placed on a graceful cloth. Everything is wrapped up with some puffs on a water pipe. As Suntory Museum curator Rieko Niwa points out, the trailing trains of the dresses and skirts clearly reveal a European influence, distinguished from the Turkish tradition of trouser style garments. But this is not surprising given the country's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.
Porcelain from the 17th and 18th centuries, for example, feature blue and white patterns and tulips, clearly showing influences from both China and the Netherlands. The current exhibition is particularly interesting in that it offers visitors food for thought, however romantic such musing might be.
But among the many flights of imagination possible on setting this exhibition is the thought that throughout Turkey's long history, in which it has identified itself by flexibly introducing elements of other cultures Roman, Christian or Muslim the country has always maintained its own style and identity. And to think that all this interaction with other cultures occurred at a time when there were no handy communication tools.
(The Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer, Miki Takashima)
