The Surrealist Art of Alex Can Emed

The Surrealist Art of Alex Can Emed:

Alex Can Emed is a Surrealist and Fantastic-Realist artist, professionalize as Painter, Sculptor, Engraver, Illustrator, Airbrush Artist, Digital Sculptor, Visual Effects Artist, Graphic Designer, Conceptual Artist and an Author.

Alex Can Emed's artworks evolved from his early period which he was influenced from Salvador Dali's masterpieces to his late era which he was influenced from Hans Ruedi Giger, on the other hand, Alex Can got his own illustrative color palette in his art which he achieved it from 1980's illustrative artists such as Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo, Earl Norem and John Buscema. 

Alex Can mixed this colorful characteristics into his Biomechanical Art style which is innovated by Giger.

So what Alex Can did is grinding all his inspirations together and mix them with his own designs and the Science-Fictional universe he designed.

Born in a well-rooted and noble family, Alex Can's complicated nobility has been came from his grandmother's mother's side from Ali Pasha of Tepelenia (Lion of Ioannina) and from Ali Pasha back to King Pyrhus I of Epirus and Serbian King Đurad Brankoviç, and also from his grandmother's father's side from Graf von Brandis (Ekrem Recep Batra), whom is a Tyrolean Count, also is a Cavalry Colonel and a Fighter-Pilot who flew with Red Baron himself in World War I, Alex Can's other nobility also came from his mother's family which descended from Şerif Çolak, the founder of Kula Mensucat, one of the first tapestry factories established in the Republic of Turkey back in 1920's in Izmir. 

This noble culture in his family gaved Alex Can to learn and enjoy noble traditional European Etiquettes and the European culture since he was a child, such as enjoying Baroque Music, Renaissance Art, Gothic Art and the European enlightment literature such as Existentialism and Stoicism.

Alex Can borned in 5 April 1981, which his very birthdate allowed him to enjoy the entertainment culture of 1980's & 1990's which will later strongly affected Alex Can's Surrealist artworks.

Begin to paint since his childhood. Graduated from Yeditepe University, Fine Arts Faculty, Plastic Arts section, on the Ateliers of Prof Ergin Inan & Ismail Ilhan & Prof Zahit Büyükişliyen & Ord. Prof Özdemir Altan in 2003. Since before his Academical education Alex Can dedicated himself on Surrealism by the beginning of 1997, and he is an artist who has won 10 awards in total. 

His artworks mostly aimed both on the Canvas and Photo-Block surfaces; he is not simply overseer to lookers comfort, or not try to create the images that the exacly for heal the lookers feelings..

The real purpose on his art is to making everyone to understand the wild nature of "Homo Sapiens".

To open the way of understanding our primitive nature that we hide within our intellect.

His artworks is exactly works like a device that works the same as the mirror.

A mirror that can reflect our wild nature directly back to us..

Alex Can Emed mostly making his artworks on canvas surfaces or pre-made wooden-plate surfaces with oftenly using Airbrush (Acrylics) and also with Oil Colors by using Misch Technique, sometimes he uses Tempera and Indian Ink for retouches. 

Alex Can Emed's artistical production is a slow process since it requires to get intense inspirations before he made any new upcoming artworks.

For centuries humanity try to conquer the lands, dominate the nature, try to converting the way of natural rivers. And also, as humanity we try to cancel the waves of riverfalls, and cutting forests out of lands, using the technology for mastermind the other creatures, using the technology for mastermind the climate and weather seasons.

And finally we use the technology to simulate the young-human generations as a "perfect-client".

And theese applications that the humanity process, is not comes from love or empathy.

Theese process directly comes from our hidden wild nature that possessed by lust, fear, and egoism..

At all theese for.. Alex Can Emed is about to create the images and visions that can "shock" us, and can face-to-face to our wild nature.

 

For that he use mostly use in his Art:

•  Metamorphosed forms like saw,

•  Old metalic parts that feels like used to be a part of an old fabrics,

•  Flying gothic forms, embryons that cloned together, empty vials,

•  Cave entrances that looks like crocodile mouth, saw teeths,

•  Humanioids that being erotical and mechanical metamorphosis (Erotomechanics),

•  Chemical bulbs, and genetic mutations,

•  Creatures that being biological and mechanic metamorphosis (Biomechanics),

•  Metamorphosed Skulls, forms that being Biological and Grotesque metamorphosis (Biogrotesque),

•  Bones and skulls that formed like as part as Gothic Structures. (Biogothic)

With that kind of material he choose, the images creates the feelings that the materials comes from both Futuristic and Gothic styles, the visions that he choose to add them with the iconographic material that Alex Can Emed choosed, the lookers start to feel like beeing an unsteady places, fearful places, places that feels general "grotesque" feelings, and brings to lookers minds looping over..

Alex Can, making his artworks with using Airbrush pistol by spraying layer to layer while staying loyal to his sketches, it's a technical process requires concentration on the design rather than being just spontaneous on canvas. This ecole highly praises every single details and illustrative talents on the artworks, rather than praising just collaging random geometrical spaces and bold colors as we can easily see in most of the contemporary artworks today.

With the effect and consonansity of the disstressfull feelings that he choosed to show in his art just from the beginning.

That can be easily said exactly as;

 

"The wild nature of the humanity that which escape from it from the beginning."

 

Each artworks of Alex Can, is continuation of the same universe that he created, and so piece by piece the ongoing design of his imaginary universe being shaped as scene by scene.

Alex Can Emed continues to make his artworks since 1997 with 29 years of professional experience and since 2011, he has been in the international Surrealist communities with his art..  

Alexandros Can Emed is also one of the three Turkish students of Prof.Ernst Fuchs (Founder of Vienna School of Fantastic-Realism) along with the other Turkish student of Prof.Fuchs; Erol Deneç, and Alex Can Emed also the only Turkish student of Hans Ruedi Giger (Oscar awarded Swiss Surrealist Artist and a top-designer of Alien movies)

Alexandros Can Emed is also an actual member of Fantastic-Realism Art movement known as "Vienna School of Fantastic-Realism" founded by Prof. Ernst Fuchs and making his artworks in Dark-Surrealist & Biomechanical Art ecole.

Special thanks to Otto Rapp, Jutta Venosa, Prof.Philip Rubinov-Jacobson and Santiago Ribeiro for continous support for Alex Can Emed's art vision.  

      And also Special Thanks to my Mom Gülçin Çolak, 

and my Baptismal-Mother Rea Kalfaoglou to their strong support on my art and their continous trust.

During his 29-year long career, he successfully done restorations on some of his early-artworks which had aged over by time.

His short biography and past Exhibitions: 

"Surrealist and Fantastic-Realist Artist"

http://canemed.blogspot.com/

Born on 5 April 1981, when he was 10 years old in 1991, 1st Winner prize in the inter-school competition on the "Erosion" theme by Tema Foundation while studying in secondary school.

He took certification courses in Teleteknik A.Ş, which organized workshops to learn Deluxe Paint software on Amiga computers of the 80's & 90's in 1991-1992

Learned English in Upper-Intermediate Level during his middle-education from Canadian teachers. 1994

He took certification courses on Photoshop, Illustrator and Corel Draw softwares at Lasalle Workshops by the tutorialship of Gökalp Baykal in 1997-1998.

He did an internship on 3D Design, Animation and Digital Sculpture and in the process learned to use 3Ds Max, Maya, and After Effects softwares. 1998-1999.

Since his childhood back in 80's, he learned to paint with Oil Colors on Canvas from his mother Gülçin Çolak whom was student of Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu's Atelier.

He attended workshops on creating Dungeon Master illustrations by using charcoal technique based on Tabletop Fantasy Role Playing games for 3 weeks in Canterbury, England, by some of the top-notch DM's located on the Canterbury. And he reached the stage of professionalizing his hobby of making Fantasy illustrations to turn them into Art. 1997

Worked as Graphic-Designer in Kuartet Advertisement Agency in 1997-1999 and later worked as Art-Director in Artepolativ Designworks in 1999-2014, and later as a Chairman in Artepolativ Designworks on 2014-2021.

He took an academic drawing techniques courses at Adasanat - Memet Güreli Atelier in 1997-1998

1998, Yeditepe University - GSF End-of-Year Exhibition.

1999, Yeditepe University - GSF End-of-Year Exhibition.

2001 TÜYAP, Art Criticers Competition 2nd Winner Prize.

2001 Dyo - Young Artists Award, 1st Winner Prize.

2001, Yeditepe University - GSF End-of-Year Exhibition

2002 Hürriyet Newsweek "European Union and Turkey" writing competition 3rd Winner Prize.

2002 Turkish Naval Forces DKK, 7.Traditional Sea Art Competition 1st Winner Prize.

Art-Ist 2002 Art Exhibition, Young Artists Competition 1st Winner Prize. 2002

2002, Yeditepe University - GSF End-of-Year Exhibition.

2003 Marmara University Fine Arts Faculty, Painture department, Marmara Triennial Exhibition (Kibele İş-Sanat Art Gallery), Honorary Award

2003, Yeditepe University - GSF End-of-Year Exhibition.

Graduated in 2003 Yeditepe University Fine Arts Faculty, Arts Plastiques department, on the Ateliers of Prof Ergin Inan & Ismail Ilhan & Prof Zahit Büyükişliyen & Ord. Prof Özdemir Altan. (In addition, he took extra courses under the supervision of Gülveli Kaya from the Graphic Design department during his education.)

2003 International Arts Plastiques Foundation membership UNESCO AIAP a+A (UPSD)

2004 UPSD End-of-Year Exhibition (UPSD Art Gallery)

TEMA Foundation, Nature Exhibition (AKM Art Gallery Taksim/Istanbul.) 2004

2005 1.International Turkey Graemeen Microcredit Art Biennial. Honorary Award

2005 TISVA Turkish Foundation of Waste Reduction Art Biennial. Honorary Award

2007 "Midnight Fall" 1st Solo Exhibition. (Naval Forces - Sea Museum Art Gallery)

2007 Turkish Surrealist and Fantastic Realist Artists group Exhibition. AKM Art Gallery, Taksim, Istanbul.

October 2010 Personal Retroespective Art Exhibition "Midnight Fall" (Adaevi Art Gallery - Büyükada/Princess Island-Istanbul)

12-30 April 2011, "Freedom" Joint-Exhibition; Beşiktaş/Etiler MKKM Gallery/Istanbul with his work;"The Radical Islamic Faschism Machine-I"

June 2011, "Vienna School of Fantastic-Realism" membership, by the personal recognition of Prof.Ernst Fuchs.

6 August 2011, Can Emed - Exhibition; "The Eve of The Midnight" (Adaevi Art Gallery - Büyükada/Princess Island-Istanbul)

10 June 2012, Can Emed - Retrospective exhibition: "The Time of Dawn and Dusk" (Adaevi Art Gallery - Buyukada/Princess Island-Istanbul)

22 June 2013, at HR Giger Museum's HR Giger's Private Collection with his work "Biomechanical Humanoid Tryptich" at Gruyeres, Switzerland. 

23 May 2014, Turkish Fantastic Realist Artists Group Exhibition "Amak-I Hayal" at Park Art Istanbul Gallery in Kadıköy, Istanbul.

22 August 2014, Can Emed 5th Solo Exhibition, Çelik Gülersoy Art and Culture Center, Büyükada, Istanbul.

6 September 2014, "Visionaries" Seers of The Soul Exhibition, Behind The Blue Door Gallery, New York, USA

5 December 2014, Dream of Obscure Exhibition, Gallery Bohem, Nişantaşı, Istanbul.

Can Emed can be seen in: Dark Star - HR Giger's World documentary movie, February 2015, Frenetic Films, directed by: Belinda Sallin.

"20 Years In Art" 7th Solo Exhibition of Can Emed. UNESCO - AIAP - a+A - UPSD Art Gallery, Maçka, Istanbul, 16 March 2015.

13 June 2015, "Turkish Contemporary Fantastic Realist Artists" Group Exhibition, Caddebostan, CKM, CKM Art Gallery, Istanbul.

"I am an Artist, so I am Exist" group exhibition, 23 October 2015, Nişart Gallery, Maçka, Istanbul.

10 August 2015, Can Emed Solo Exhibition, Büyükada, Çelik Gulersoy Art and Culture Center, Istanbul. 

July 2016, Legacy of Light - Generations of Vision Exhibition for the Memory of Ernst Fuchs in Castle Gloggnitz. Participating with the actual assistants of Prof Ernst Fuchs and the other Surrealist Maestros such as De Es Schwertberger, Peter Gric, Robert Venosa, Philip Rubinov-Jacobson and Otto Rapp. Gloggnitz, Austria.

August 2016 , Joining "International Surrealism Now" group which led by Santiago Ribeiro from Portugal as the only Surrealist Artist from Turkey amongst more than 100 well-known Surrealist artists across the globe.

International Surrealism Now - 2017, Portugal, Coindeixa, Poros Multimedia Museum, August 2017.

International Surrealism Now - 23 December 2017, Portugal, Coindeixa, POROS Multimedia Museum.

International Surrealism Now - 17 November 2018, Coimbra, Museu Municipal de Coimbra, Portugal.19 December 2018, 

Istanbulflaş Magazine 2018 Honorary Art Award, 2018.

26 January 2019, 13th Edition of International Surrealism Now, Municipal Gallery, Antonio Vitorino in Vieria de Leiria, City of Marinha Grande, Portugal.

24 April 2020, International Surrealism Now - 10th Anniversary Edition, Arts and Spectacules Center, Figueira Da Foz, Portugal. 

22 August 2020, 75. Islander Artists Exhibition, Adalar Kültür Derneği, Çınar Meydanı, Büyükada, Istanbul.

11th Group Show of "International Surrealism Now" in Arts & Spectacules Center , Figuéira da Foz, Portugal, May 5 - July 11 2021.

International Surrealism Now, Galleria della Fantasma, Tuscany, Italy, 24 April 2023

International Surrealism Now, Palacio Nacional de Mafra, Portugal, February 5 to 29, 2024

International Surrealism Now, Shotgun Studio, Spokane, Washington, USA, 6 September 2024

"International Surrealism Now" group show, Conimbriga Hotel do Paço, Rua Francisco Lemos, 43, 3150-140 Condeixa-a-Nova, Portugal, ADFP Foundation, 15 January 2025

Alexandros Can Emed is a part of Phanari-Greek-Orthodox Community of Turkey and is also an Author on both Delikasap Rock Magazine and Nouvart since 2016.

http://canemed.blogspot.com/

For inquiries, wishes and cooperation suggestions, please contact: canemed.surrealistartist@gmail.com