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This artwork was inspired by Mark Rothko's works and the art movement he followed; abstract expressionism. Abstract expressionism is an art movement where the artworks are made to provoke emotion. Nowadays, as mental health issues are finally getting talked about, many people have realized that what they are going through may be a mental illness or effects of trauma. A very common problem many people face and do not realize is that they are incapable of processing their very own emotions. From childhood onwards many of us are told to not cry when we wanted to cry or to not laugh too loud when we wanted to laugh. This pressure has seeped into our adulthood, where we struggle to both understand and feel sentiments. Dealing with emotions is harder than many people might think. It requires a new mentality in which an individual must adopt in order to comprehend the perils of their very own numbness. Therefore, no mental health issue is a tiny issue. If something doesn't feel quite right, all of us must seek help. We are not being 'over dramatic' we are explaining how we feel, and no one can know that better than us. In this artwork I wanted to evoke a feeling by abstract expressionism. It is up to interpretation and there is no one solid feeling associated with the work itself. What are you feeling?

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Overfishing and Marine Pollution- Derin Didinedin

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Overfishing and Marine Pollution- Derin Didinedin

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After watching the  "Seaspiracy" documentary, I became much more aware about how human practices negatively affect marine life and wanted to create a painting that raised awareness about this global issue. Global issues such as overfishing and meat production are often swept under the rug. As a result of industrial fishing, too many fish are being caught compared to what is required and marine wildlife is dying at an extremely rapid pace. Fishers also use huge nets that unintentionally capture sharks and dolphins as well as damage marine reefs. Also, a lot of our trash is thrown in the ocean which further enlarges the problem. For this piece I painted a fish that is alone in the ocean and surrounded with greenish-blue water. The dirty water shows how polluted the ocean is while the single fish represents the loss of marine wildlife.

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Our nature is deteriorating due to the climate change. We live in such a beautiful World, and instead of preserving its beauty we destroy it. Due to climate change there will no longer be the greenery, which we took walks in as a child. There will no longer be the rich blues of the ocean. All will be gone. To cherish the nature that we still have, and to make sure that our grandson and granddaughters can see it, we must help the world and live Eco-friendly. This artwork depicts the beauty of our nature and the richness of colors that cannot be seen anymore due to pollution and waste.

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Cultural racism is a discriminative way to think  which results in not being able to accept how people of different races, cultures and backgrounds can live harmoniously in the same society. As a result of this biased and prejudiced opinion, people try to erase the beautiful cultures many unique people come from. Culture is one of the biggest factors that influence an individuals sense of identity which is what makes it special. Culture also represents the beliefs of our ancestors thus it is very precious. Instead of being afraid of different ways of living, people should accept each other and see that everybody and everything is beautiful in their own way. I have painted a tribal African woman wearing face paint and jewelry that is culturally significant to show how beautiful and unique her culture is. This ethical issue also connects with racism and xenophobia. By raising awareness about this issue people might start being much more open-minded.

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Mental Illnesses and Escaping them- Merve Akdeniz 

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Mental Illnesses and Escaping them- Merve Akdeniz 

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This week I researched a renowned female artist named Yayoi Kusama. Her artworks were derived from her mental illnesses and a world that she escaped them from. That reminded me the importance of using art to cope with certain mental health issues and the place of art in rehabilitation. All of us should focus on our mental stability and reflect it by doing something. In 'Alice In Wonderland' this theme Is seen. I wanted to raise awareness through this movie/book. People in Wonderland have different mental illnesses, which they suffer from.  However, they all live in harmony in Wonderland and Alice herself finds it comforting. For Alice, Wonderland is her safe space and The Mad Hatter is her comfort person. We should all strive to find such a place in our minds to continue to explore ourselves through art.

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Xenophobia is a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries. At the end of the day, we all belong to one country; Planer Earth. No matter what language we speak, or where-ever we are from, we are all equals. If anything, our differences is what makes us very beautifully unique. Love is love in any language. It may look different, but it is still defined the same way. it is important to raise awareness on the discrimination of people who live in different countries then theirs.

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Depression is a mental disorder and the people who suffer from it are usually continuously upset. They also lose interest in activities they were once passionate about. Depression has unfortunately become quite common as a result of the ongoing pandemic and raising awareness about it could save someones life. My artwork shows a female figure lying alone on the floor of a room filled with walls with scribbles on them. The scribbles represent the endless emotional pain and how the person suffering feels alone. The fact that the woman has a head made up of a flower shows how fragile she is. This topic also relates to the endless femicides happening here in Turkey.

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Anorexia is a mental disorder that mainly affects teenagers that are presented with unattainable ideals from society. This disorder is sometimes presented as an eating disorder but the actual reason behind it is a mental problem. People who suffer from this illness starve themselves just to be skinny and because of body dysmorphia they still think that they are overweight. Many people have died because of this illness. Anorexia has increased a lot during the last decade because of the growth of social media and raising awareness about it is essential to solving the problem. My artwork depicts skeletal features that anorexic people get from starving themselves.