Rasim Basak

I live and work in Bursa, in the Western part of Turkey. I work at a large state university as Assistant Professor, and teach Painting studio, Art Philosophy and Art Criticism classes. I lived in the United States for many years and my inspiration comes from that cross-cultural understanding and perspectives of East and West; Islam and Christianity as well. I feel deep connections with primitive native cultures and ancient societies; and they intertwined in most of my works. I am also drawn by mysticism of religions, Ancient Greek and Classical Myth. Religious texts and scriptures, can be seen as an element through my artworks. I love color and texture and in my work am always attempting to use these elements to create a harmonious balance. I enjoy working in an experimental way with different materials. For me, art is an act of creating meaning, giving meaning to otherwise limited life; making it meaningful. My educational background includes various schools in Turkey and in the United States; I have taught art classes in various institutions in the United States and in Turkey.

Studied Painting, Graphic Design, Art Education, Indiana University-Bloomington

Ph.D. Indiana University-Bloomington, IN United States
M.Ed. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO United States
B.A. Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey