Following İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay's decision to join the AKP, a series of resignations have taken place in the municipality's cultural and artistic institutions. After poet Haydar Ergülen stepped down as Director of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality International Literature Festival, members of the City Theaters Advisory Board also announced their resignations. Finally, Levent Üzümcü, General Art Director of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality City Theaters, announced that he had left his post "due to necessity."
Üzümcü, who had served for 19 years at the Istanbul City Theaters before being removed from his position in 2015 due to his stance during the Gezi protests and a speech he delivered at the Socialist International, had been working in İzmir.
According to a report by Nefes Gazetesi, Üzümcü, who has been under house arrest for three months on charges of "inciting the public to hatred and hostility or insulting them," evaluated the transition of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay to the AKP.
"ONE DOES NOT FIGHT THE PUBLIC"
Criticizing Cemil Tugay's decision to join the AKP, Üzümcü stated that the current situation is unsustainable. Reacting to the use of state power against the preferences of the public, the artist made the following remarks regarding the process:
"Who would have thought? This is not something sustainable. Acting with all kinds of arrogance by fighting the public, refusing to accept the public's choices, and using state power against the power of the public will not end well. One does not fight the public. This country is not just for AKP-MHP voters, it is the country of all of us."
Üzümcü also spoke about how the developments in İzmir would be received in the city. Stating that the process has revealed the attitudes of political actors, the artist continued:
"Whatever İzmir knows, it will do. Those who will be the interlocutors need to think about this. It is a terrifying process. A strange litmus paper has been placed before us, where it is understood what is what and who is who. A strange color is emerging. We are actually trying to understand what is happening."
"I AM PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK WITH EVIL"
Levent Üzümcü, who is unemployed again following his resignation, stated that he will continue his artistic life. Expressing that the process he has faced has worn him down, Üzümcü shared his assessments regarding his future work.
Emphasizing that he will maintain his connection to art, Üzümcü described his experiences with these words:
"I am playing hide and seek with evil. Evil is chasing me, and I am trying to find places to catch my breath. The moral structure we are facing is a broken structure."
Explaining his plans for his artistic life, Üzümcü stated that the developments that occurred when he was considering quitting acting changed his decision. Üzümcü continued his words as follows:
"There is a very beautiful Latin saying. They say, 'Ars longa, vita brevis.' Art is long, life is short. I intend to spend this short life with art. Of course, I will be with the audience with many other works and other projects. I was thinking of quitting acting after my duty here. But life did not give me that possibility. These games of hide and seek are very exhausting."
News Source: 12punto
