It all started with a connect-the-dots mermaid in kindergarten for award-winning 8-year-old Istanbulite Zeynep Yağmur Çevik, who just opened her first art exhibition titled "Years through My Binoculars" in her grandfather's native province Bilecik to showcase her colorful and empowering woman-themed paintings.
The young talent is a third grade student in Türkiye's metropolis Istanbul who has taken a particular interest in female figures – and her creative artwork has attracted widespread attention.
Often participating in painting competitions held throughout Türkiye, Çevik won first place in the Türkiye Technology Development Foundation Painting Competition, second place in the Chamber of Ship Engineers Painting Competition and an honorable mention in the Blue Child Association Painting Competition.
Emphasizing that she focuses on female figures in her paintings, the young artist said: "Women make up half of the world. Women raise other women all around the world. Women are all different, but all of them should be valued."
Planning to donate the proceeds from the exhibition to charity, Çevik noted that her dream is a world where women and children can live free of violence.
First exhibition
In hope of expanding her audience, Çevik recently reached out to the deputy mayor of Türkiye's northwestern Anatolian city of Bilecik, her grandfather's hometown.
After connecting with Deputy Mayor Melek Mızrak Subaşı through social media, the deputy mayor quickly recognized the young girl's talent and offered to help arrange her first exhibition featuring 10 paintings.
Emphasizing that Çevik is very talented despite her young age, Subaşı said: "We wanted to encourage her to open an exhibition here to support her. We never want our talented children to be lost in the shadows."
Unwavering family support
After picking up her first paintbrush when she was 10 months old, Çevik quickly developed her talent thanks to the loving support of her parents.
Çevik told Anadolu Agency (AA) that she realized she had a talent for art while she was drawing a mermaid during a connect-the-dots activity in her kindergarten class.
The young artist's mother, Damla Boza Çevik, a special education teacher, said that after recognizing her daughter's exceptional talent, they enrolled her in an art course, but Zeynep soon felt that her imagination was being limited by the lessons. From that point on, the young artist's parents allowed her to develop her artistic skills on her own.
Explaining that her daughter likes to work independently, with vibrant colors and expresses herself via her own style, Damla Boza Çevik said: "Zeynep loves animals and children. We recently reached out to Bilecik Deputy Mayor Melek Mızrak Subaşı. She also embraced Zeynep's talent, and thanks to the deputy mayor, we decided to open her first professional painting exhibition there. Zeynep's goal is to show that all women are different and worthy of value. Both her father and I support her unconditionally because we believe it's important she uses the power of her imagination."