MERHABA ABİDİN · Abidin Dino Belgeseli

Abidin Dino, born in Turkey, became not only a pioneer of contemporary Turkish painting but also one of the world's most important artists. He never lost the spirit of his homeland or the power of labor and human struggle. He was fortunate to have mentors and brothers among the masters. He was introduced to Yaşar Kemal, and when they first shook hands he felt a déjà vu. He said, 'I know you, Abidin Bey,' and Kemal replied, 'I know you too, crazy boy,' explaining why he called him that. From 1977, when he worked as a correspondent for Sipa Press in Turkey, Kemal followed all his work sent to the agency. Instead of photographs of the left-right conflicts in Turkey, he followed with great pleasure the dossiers he made, especially photo-interviews of coal miners and the people of Irgat in Adana, his ancestral land. After their meeting, Kemal would wait for him at his modest studio in Rue de l’Heure in Paris after each new interview. 'Hello Abidin,' he would say, and the footage they captured together from 1985 onward became a collage in tribute, with respect and longing.