The 8th episode of the art program “Rengârenk”, hosted by Zehra Aksoy, has been released on Turkey News Portal and its YouTube channel. This week’s guest was the versatile artist Özcan Çelen, who, despite being 80 years old, has lost nothing of his productivity and energy, and is talented in many fields ranging from painting to sculpture, from dance to scuba diving. He is affectionately called “Özcan Baba” by his admirers.

Born in Istanbul in 1946, Çelen stated that he grew up as the child of a poor family and had to drop out of school due to financial difficulties. However, this situation pushed him to hold on to life more tightly and to educate himself. He said he was influenced by Jean Paul Sartre and adopted as his own life philosophy Sartre’s words: “I owe my success today to not being in my father’s shadow.”

From Lighter Repair to Invention: A Story of Productivity

Before his military service, Özcan Çelen worked as a lighter repairman, and after returning, he carried his productivity in this field into inventing. He explained that he was the inventor of gas-filling machines for lighters seen on street corners. He founded companies operating in different fields such as Özcan Makine and Süper Gaz Armatörleri, and emphasized that he now makes very good use of the knowledge and skills gained over the years in his art.

An Art Workshop in a Nursing Home: “Creating from Nothing”

Since 2014, Çelen has been living in Bahçelievler Nursing Home, which he has transformed into a true center of art and production. In the iron and wood workshops he built himself, he continues to work with his 40-year-old tools. He paints portraits for the nursing home residents and opens exhibitions with them. He also made a great contribution to the garden of the nursing home, creating statues of Seyit Onbaşı and the 57th Regiment Memorial in the area commemorating the Gallipoli Victory.

From Sculpture to Portrait: Art through Recycling

In his sculpture work, Çelen does not use professional materials but instead fights the battle of “creating from nothing” by using waste materials collected from the trash and iron obtained from scrap. For his portrait work, he applies an acrylic base coat and then completes the details with oil paint. He says a portrait usually takes him about three attempts to finish.

Scuba Diving, Boxing, and Tango: A Youth Who Never Lost His Energy

Özcan Çelen’s life is not limited to painting and sculpture. He has been scuba diving for over 45 years and refers to Sarayburnu as his “diving center.” At the age of 60, he started Latin dances, and at 65, he began tango, which he now teaches to those interested. In his youth, Çelen was involved in boxing and bodybuilding, and he still regularly does weight training, which he says keeps him upright.

Advice for the Young: “Age Well, Don’t Give Up”

Speaking to young artists and young people, Özcan Baba emphasized the importance of resilience and productivity, saying: “Age well, grow well. Always keep producing, keep creating projects. Don’t give up, don’t quit. I didn’t paint for 20 years, but I started again. Life goes on.”