Halit Aytoslu Kurtulmus

The interview

1 - A memory of Salone and Bordighera

During my first stay in Bordighera I took a walk in front of the sea. A little girl who was selling souvenirs made by her, caught my attention and so I asked her permission to draw her portrait. She was very happy with the drawing and showed it to her mother who was reading a book on the bench next to me. When I introduced myself, the mother who knew about the Salone dell'umorismo, also said she knew me... I was very surprised... Later I learned that this lady was one of the organizers of the exhibition. The name of the little girl, if I'm not mistaken, was Eaton. And Eaton gave me a small key ring as a gift.

2- What did you like the most about Salone

The  Salone is more of an exhibition than a competition; I liked the fact that it has a very long and complete memory that allows us to follow the path of humour over the years.

3 - What is it the humour for you?

I think that humorous cartoons are an art of drawing that are given different meanings and expectations depending on the different age groups. For example, for a small child it means more fun, hilarity and fantasy thanks to drawings, while for young people it means a humor that addresses the problems of adolescence or sexuality. For our age group I think it means more topicality, questioning life, addressing social problems that contain philosophical and political criticism.

4 - Your life as a humorist, if you look back what cartoon do you see?

When I look back on my life, instead of a single image, I see some black humor, some comic strips, some gag comics and maybe some caricatures…

5 - Were you born humorists or did you become such?

I think that family environment, city, state and continent in which a person lives are the most important elements for the maturation and expression of inner humor.

6 - Risk or caution, what has characterised your professional life the most?

The answer to this question may differ depending on where you live and is obviously a risk especially in regions where freedom of thought and expression is limited.

7 - One of your cartoons that you'd like to dedicate today to the Salone, why?

This is the cartoon I want to dedicate to the salon. Humor should always live and be lived despite all the negativity that occurs.

8 - The poster of Salone you like the most, why?

The 1969 poster by Adolf Born, a great artist. I like it because it expresses the internationality of humor.

9 - Humor today: its state of health. And behind the curve what do you expect?

A difficult question. Every day violence and intolerance increase, especially towards political satire. This is an important moment for the survival of humor: will humor remain free or will it be put in a straitjacket with the trigger of artificial intelligence? Time will tell…