Yılmaz Zenger

Yılmaz Zenger graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at Istanbul Technical University in 1958. He completed his master’s degree at his alma mater. Between 1957 and 1959, he served as a city planner in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. In 1959, he began working as an assistant at Istanbul Technical University. He also taught at Karadeniz Technical University and the Middle East Technical University. In addition, Zenger worked as a counselor in international companies and took parts in research teams. Between 1962 and 1963, he was sent to London by university.  For a short time, Zenger had a chance to participate in modification of special use of movie cameras for BBC and ILFO CHROME emulsion research in ILFORD.

In 1965, Zenger was appointed to the President of the Photo Movie Center at Istanbul Technical University. In 1968, he became one of the founders of the Industrial Building Center (Yapı Endüstri Merkezi) and has served as members of boards. In 1969, he began studying computer based animations. In 1971, Zenger founded a company for modeling, molding and prototyping of furniture and decorative building elements. In the next year, he designed the futuristic interior with sound and visual equipments for American cultural attaché; and the video-bookcase module in the American Library. Zenger managed to bring the first computer-based animations to Turkey with a support from the United States Information Center in 1973. He also presented these animations to students and educators in the Faculty of Architecture at Istanbul Technical University as series of conferences. Meanwhile, he designed the special projection system and sculptured the pro-lenses from acrylic blocks for the movie ′Cybernetic Era Romance′. In 1979, Zenger drew the Projects of Fashion and Bijouterie Fair in Monaco and undertook the technical directory; he organized for opening of Palais de Congres. Zenger was the art director of two movies by Anthony Dawson; ′Hunter from the Future′ and ′the Arc of the Sun God′. He was a consultant for UNICEF and made two documentary films on communication, supported by Canadian government between 1985 and 1989. Zenger also made a project for UNICEF on mobile family training unit, a scenario on health policy for the Parliamentarians. He prepared not only a speech and an animated film in the name of UNICEF in communication meeting in Canada, but also wrote scenario, and produced a cartoon for the Canadian government. Since 1994, he has taken part in the Foundation of the Science Center in Istanbul by making interiors and almost all of the exhibits.

Zenger has designed and created over 200 numbers of products, industrial designs, paintings, sculptures, decorative objects and jewelry designs. He has also prepared many special effects for commercial films. In addition, he has written numerous papers, articles for many magazines and given lectures and conferences on industrial design in different associations and universities. He exhibited his sculpture in New York in 1999; sculpture and furniture in Jersey City Art Center in 2000. Currently, Zenger continues to teach at the Department of Designing Industrial Products at Istanbul Technical University.

Selected his exhibitions:
1999, sculpture exhibition, New York
2000, furniture and sculpture exhibition, Jersey City Art Center
2001, Niagara Aerospace Museum Project
2002, furniture exhibition, Ohio Wexner Center for the Arts
2003, Live in Art Living Art Collection
2003, Taşkışla Plastic Arts Association (group exhibition)
2004, Movenpick Hotel Istanbul, monument
2004, Istanbul Cultural Palace (group exhibition)
2004, Beykent University, Taksim Gallery (exhibition and conference)
2004, Beykent University (workshop)
2004, “′Moments and Memories”, Istanbul Y.E.M Gallery
2005, Eskişehir University
2006, New York Broadway Gallery
2006, Istanbul Contemporary Art
2007, Istanbul Contemporary Art

Reference: yilmazzenger.com, 44a.com.tr, yapi.com.tr