May it be celebrated

Greetings,

Free-thinking, free-conscienced, beautiful people.

Continuing to look through the mirror of art...

What appears to us today through the mirror of art is,

"The Republic"

I can almost hear you asking, which republic,

Do not worry, dear friends,

It is not a new republic,

In the words of Şevket Süreyya Aydemir’s famous assessment and definition,

A rare figure to appear on the stage of history, who managed to be a man of both thought and action simultaneously,

The Republic, which our eternal leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK—whom even his comrades-in-arms could not fully comprehend and thus called the “Sole Man”—founded and described as “my greatest work”.

The Republic, which we have the good fortune to welcome into its one hundred and first year as of today.

Throughout human history, the only ones among us mortals who have managed to achieve immortality have been artists!

Let us say, with one exception,

I bet your heart rate increased and you immediately made a guess.

Actually, in my opinion, his art and artistry are unparalleled.

Furthermore, I suspect you think so too.

Let's see if we are thinking the same thing...

The first names that come to mind among artists who have managed to defeat time and taken their seats on the Mount Olympus of art are great figures with genius-level creative diligence, such as Dante, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Rodin, and Picasso.

It is not merely their works that make them special and inaccessible.

As for what it is... I feel as if your minds are searching for an answer immediately and quickly...

What manifests itself in their works and makes them special compared to other artists is uniqueness, singularity, and incomparability—in other words, originality.

Dante contributed his art to humanity through his poems, Leonardo through his paintings, Michelangelo through his sculptures,  and Shakespeare through his plays. 

Artists have used basic raw materials such as paint, clay, or letters, which they handle in an amorphous or formless state, to create a meaningful and original integrity.

The most powerful capability that transformed them into the supporting pillars of human civilization has been their creative originality.

But what about the great ATATÜRK, who just increased your heart rate a moment ago?

What about his artistry, our nation which is the raw material of his art, and our republic, his immortal and great work that makes him special and unique?

Marina Abramović, one of the prominent names in performance art—which has roots going back to the anarchist performances of the Dada movement in the early 20th century, the surrealist and futurist performances of the 1920s and 30s, and even Jackson Pollock's action painting, and which has formed an important autonomous field within the modern art understanding since the 1960s—has said the following about performance art: 'In theater, you rehearse and play a role. In theater, blood is ketchup and the knife is not a real knife. In performance, everything is real. The knife is a real knife and blood is blood.'

Now you might rightfully ask, where did this performance art come from, and naturally, you might ask if I am okay...

I am fine, dear friends, do not worry, I am perfectly fine.

Our Republic, the Republic of Atatürk, is also a unique reality in every aspect, and while the artist's performance duration is limited in performance art,

The performance of our Republic, destined for immortality by its artist, the Great ATATÜRK, has no time limit. This is because it was created with a spirit that transcends time.

The substance of this immortal art—our Republic, the apple of our eye, which we hope will endure forever—is our people, while its time is history and its space is our homeland; it is the great and immortal work brought into being by the Great ATATÜRK, who was real in every sense and who created it through sacrifices that truly led to death, through pain, tears, and blood.

We are certainly not the only lovers of the Republic who consider our Republic a work of art and, consequently, its founder one of the greatest artists history has ever seen.

UNESCO, founded in 1945 as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, included the 100th anniversary of the birth of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in its Commemoration and Celebration Anniversaries program during its 20th General Conference held in 1978.

UNESCO explained the reasoning for declaring 1981 as the Centennial of Atatürk's birth as follows:

Atatürk was an exceptional person who strove for international understanding, cooperation, and peace; a reformer who implemented innovations within UNESCO's fields of competence; one of the first leaders to fight against colonialism and expansionism; a statesman who respected human rights, encouraged mutual understanding among people and world peace among nations, made no distinction of color, religion, or race among people throughout his life, and was the peerless founder of the Republic of Turkey.

So, what falls to us on this morning of October 29, 2024?

"If you understand and feel my ideas and my emotions, that is sufficient." It falls upon us to look at the Republic, which our unique leader called his greatest work and entrusted to us, to grasp its magnificent artistry and uniqueness, and to bring it into our consciousness.

Furthermore, on the 101st birthday of our Republic, it falls upon us to commemorate and salute our Eternal Leader, Gazi Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK, who immortalized his art with the Republic he created, with respect and gratitude, and to celebrate our greatest holiday, Republic Day, with enthusiasm, hand in hand and heart to heart.

Long live Mustafa Kemal Pasha,

Long live the Republic,

Happy Republic Day.