The “Anatolian Awards,” organized by the Baksı Culture and Art Foundation with the main sponsorship of Doğan Holding, met with its winners. This year, the main theme of the awards was “Söz Kadında,” aiming to draw attention to the responsibility given to women in spreading the light of equality between the Republic, which we celebrate its hundredth anniversary, and Anatolia. The winners of the Anatolian Awards 2023 in various categories were as follows: Latife Tekin in literature, İpek Duben in visual arts, Sevince Bayrak in architecture, Yeşim Ustaoğlu in cinema, and Selda Bağcan in music. Ceramic artist Candeğer Furtun received the Doğan Value Award.

The Anatolian Awards, initiated by the Baksı Culture and Art Foundation to highlight contributions to the common identity of Anatolia, were held for the fourth time under the main sponsorship of Doğan Holding. The main theme of this year’s Anatolian Awards was “Söz Kadında,” emphasizing the role of women in spreading the light of citizenship with equal rights, which came to Anatolia with the declaration of the Republic. The awards were given to individuals who embraced the cultural richness of Anatolia, drew inspiration from it, and contributed to its renewal and transformation in the production process.

This year’s winners of the Anatolian Awards 2023 were Latife Tekin in literature, İpek Duben in visual arts, Sevince Bayrak in architecture, Yeşim Ustaoğlu in cinema, and Selda Bağcan in the music category. The Doğan Value Award was presented to ceramic artist Candeğer Furtun, who chose to return to Turkey and contribute to her country’s value despite achieving great success abroad.

Prof. Dr. Hüsamettin Koçan, the founder of the Baksı Culture and Art Foundation and Baksı Museum, stated, “We started awarding the Anatolian Awards in 2020, and in 2021 and 2022, they were presented under the titles ‘Saluting the Past’ and ‘Recommendations for the Future.’ With the declaration of the Republic, the light of citizenship with equal rights illuminated all of humanity, and it was entrusted to women to increase the hopes for the future. Therefore, as we turn the centenary of our Republic and begin a new century, we decided to present this year’s Anatolian Awards to women under the title ‘Söz Kadında.’

This award will show us that our women have made significant and meaningful contributions to the formation of culture and art with their creativity and sustainability energies in every situation. Opening up space for these contributions is, of course, the responsibility of the people of this era because the future is being created today. A significant portion of the Baksı Culture and Art Foundation’s management is composed of women. Women are involved in all our committees, and we are in search of a future through women. We believe that women can bring their contributions to art, literature, science, politics, economics, and every field of creativity to the desired level, and we can build a more peaceful, happier, and more joyful human life.

In this context, our awards, which we present as a certificate of gratitude in five fields, will be enriched with new words added by these privileged individuals and passed on to future generations.”

Begüm Doğan Faralyalı, the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Doğan Holding, emphasized in her speech that Anatolia and women are inseparable parts. She said, “This inseparable duo has reflected the spirit and richness of the land we have lived in for thousands of years. The term ‘Anatolian woman’ is familiar to all of us. The Anatolian woman is resilient, hardworking, steadfast, self-sacrificing, loyal, patriotic, and the one who passes on all these values from generation to generation. Women have made significant contributions to the continuity of culture and art in Anatolia throughout history. Despite challenging living conditions, wars, and migrations, women have always preserved cultural heritage and passed it on to the future.

As Doğan Group, we are honored to support the Anatolian Awards, which this year serve as an occasion to celebrate the indispensable role of women in the history and culture of Anatolia. In these days when we also celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic, we must passionately embrace Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s vision of empowering women socially, economically, and politically. This vision, which includes the rise of women in all aspects, will undoubtedly propel our country forward.”

The equality of rights brought by the Republic is spreading with women in Anatolia.

The Anatolian Awards, which serve as both a bridge and a crossroads due to Anatolia’s central location between the East and the West, the North and the South, support institutions and individuals who preserve, renew, and regenerate the cultural richness of Anatolia. After its first edition in 2020, the Anatolian Awards expanded to include individuals starting from 2021, in addition to institutions. The awards are given to institutions in alternating years and individuals in single years.

The Baksı Culture and Art Foundation emphasized in its statement that they chose this theme to draw attention to the responsibility given to women in spreading the light of equality between the Republic, which we celebrate its hundredth anniversary, and Anatolia. They stated that as we start the new century of the Republic, it was decided to present the Anatolian Awards to women under the title “Söz Kadında” to make this light even more visible.

BAKSİ MUSEUM: Baksı Museum rises on a hill overlooking the Çoruh Valley, 45 km outside of Bayburt in Eastern Anatolia, bringing contemporary art and traditional crafts together under one roof. The museum project, initiated by artist and academician Prof. Dr. Hüsamettin Koçan, a native of Bayburt, as an individual idea in 2000, blossomed over the years with the contributions of many volunteers, becoming a true community project. In 2014, it received the “European Council Museum Award,” and in the same year, Prof. Koçan was awarded the Turkish Parliament Honorary Award.