At our 540th Art Gathering, we are visiting the studio of artist Vuslat.

Adopting an interdisciplinary art practice, Vuslat's works come to life in various forms such as installation, drawing, sculpture, and ceramics. Her works frequently explore concepts such as trust, interconnectedness, memory, and collective consciousness. Inspired by mythological narratives, nature-culture dynamics, and philosophical discussions, the artist's practice reflects a rich interaction between ideas and materials.

The concept of "trust" offers a profound perspective on values ​​such as trust, care, and protection; it embodies these values ​​as it transforms into practice. These works, in the light of ancient traditions and spiritual practices, serve as a kind of meditation on the act of healing and remembrance. Vuslat, who has been working in the field of art for nearly twenty years, had her first solo exhibition, *Silence*, curated by Chus Martinez, at Pi Artworks Gallery in London in 2022. In June 2023, the artist's first corporate exhibition, titled "Emanet" (The Trust), was hosted by the Baksı Museum in northeastern Türkiye. Curated by Martinez, the exhibition garnered attention from art critics from many countries. In May 2024, her third solo exhibition, curated by Ebru Yetişkin, opened at the MSGSU Tophane-i Amire Five Dome Hall in Istanbul. On May 25th, her second corporate exhibition, curated by Paolo Colombo, opened at the Troy Museum in Çanakkale. As of 2024, the artist is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. Additionally, as of February 2026, she is teaching a semester course to undergraduate and graduate students at Tufts University on her self-developed concept and practice of Generous Listening.

Wednesday, January 21

12:00-13:00

Address: Mecidiyeköy Yolu No:12 Trump Towers İş Kule Floor: 2/33 Mecidiyeköy

https://maps.app.goo.gl/SNmM7tVbgQ5ZuXbw9?g_st=ic

At our 539th Art Gathering, we are visiting “The Collective’s Memory: IMM Collections” at ArtIstanbul Feshane.

Organized by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Department of Culture, Arts and Social Affairs (IMM Culture) and IMM Heritage, the exhibition presents a comprehensive selection from the IMM Art Collections, whose institutional background dates back to the initiative to establish a Museum of Revolution in the Atatürk House in Şişli in 1925 and which has developed in various locations to the present day.

The exhibition brings together 316 works selected from IMM’s main collections, such as the Atatürk Library, Aşiyan Museum, and City Museum, with 311 works added to the collection through donations from important figures in the art world. This broad selection, encompassing different periods and techniques, makes visible how Istanbul’s artistic, cultural, and social memory was formed and how it continues to produce meaning today.

The exhibition, which addresses the modernization process from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic within a holistic panorama, Bringing together important figures such as Giovanni Bellini, Tevfik Fikret, Abdülmecid Efendi, and Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu under one roof, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Art Collections also sheds light on the contemporary transformation dynamics of the city through its contemporary art productions. The rich visual archive offered by the portrait collection provides powerful clues about Istanbul's social and cultural memory.

Continuing to grow as a public archive, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Art Collections, with its structure shaped by donations and its participatory approach, makes the city's cultural heritage accessible to everyone. The exhibition also includes a selection acquired with the consultancy of collector Cengiz Akıncı and presented under the title "Akıncı Collection: The Memory of the Collective." We will tour the exhibition with Artİstanbul Feshane Director Bahar Çelik Ömür and a guide.

Wednesday, January 14

12:00-13:00

Address: Artİstanbul Feshane, Nişancı, Eyüpsultan

https://maps.app.goo.gl/FgS5oxmSzgGuvYCt6?g_st=ipc

At our 538th Art Gathering, we are visiting the studio of artist Sinem Dişli.

Sinem Dişli was born in Urfa. She graduated from the Sculpture Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dokuz Eylül University in 2004. She completed her master's degree in Photography at Marmara University with her thesis titled "The Use of Photography in 20th Century Art Movements and its Relationship with Avant-Garde Theory." Between 2005 and 2008, she worked in the photography department of the Istanbul Modern Art Museum. In 2008, she won a scholarship to the School of Visual Arts New York with her project "Özdirenç," which combines photography and visual art elements. She received art education at the ICP International Center of Photography and Cooper Union schools in the USA.

The artist's practice, driven by environmental concerns around Mesopotamia and the Euphrates River, questions the colonial framework of dominant archaeological and geological approaches. From highlighting biodiversity to linking geological time to environmental crises, her work reflects the materiality of nature and its relationship to diverse cultural practices. Her artistic practice encompasses photography, video, and sculpture, as well as experimental printmaking processes and scientific image-building methodologies.

Dişli has held solo exhibitions including Anxiety (2004), Remembrance (2010), Impression (2011), Exile (2014), Current (2015), Humidity (2017), Hollows & Mounds (2019), and Deep Time (2022), which feature her interdisciplinary work. She has participated in numerous international group exhibitions in many countries, including A Pillar of Smoke at the 2018 Arles Photography Festival in France, and was listed by The New York Times as one of seven artists to watch. Living in Istanbul and New York since 2008, the artist participated in programs such as Triangle Arts Residency (2015), ISCP (International Studio & Curatorial Program, New York), Marble House Project, Vermont (2020), LMCC New York (2022), and Residency On The Road (2023).

Wednesday, January 7

12:00-13:00

Address: Arap Cami Mahallesi Perşembe Pazarı Caddesi No:15 D:8/9, Beyoğlu

https://maps.app.goo.gl/q5vcWMBEXLR2bySA6?g_st=iw

At our 537th Art Gathering, we are visiting the 5th Period exhibition, "Impressions from Anatolia."

This project, coordinated by artist Kadir Akyol, hosts successful young artists studying at fine arts faculties in various cities of Anatolia in Istanbul, introducing them to the art scene and contributing to their professional development.

The exhibition is a tangible reflection of the cultural explorations and dialogue with the historical heritage of this ancient city, undertaken by 36 art students selected each year from 12 different provinces of Anatolia as part of the project. Young artists, who closely experience the city's various museums, galleries, historical sites, and cultural activities, have combined these impressions with contemporary art practices, transforming them into original works.

In this exhibition, which I curated, 40 works by 25 young artists are brought together. These works present contemporary artistic interpretations of Anatolia's multifaceted cultural heritage to the viewer, while also serving as proof of the association's mission to support young talents and carry Anatolia's cultural richness into the future.

Anatolia, as it has been throughout history, continues to be a crossroads of creative expression and thought. This exhibition shows how young artists develop their own artistic language and methods, drawing inspiration from these ancient lands. Their works serve as an important bridge between the traditional and the contemporary, in the transmission of cultural heritage.

This meaningful project by the Art for Goodness Association strengthens the dialogue between cultural heritage and contemporary art, contributing to art reaching wider audiences and inspiring the artistic production of new generations.

Artists Participating in the Exhibition:

Ali Arbağ · Hasiyne Ayhan · Selman Bırifkani · Işınsu Çelebi · Fatmanur Çelik · Gökçe Çilekar · Reyhan Demir · Aylin Demir · Mustafa Talha Dilek · Sinem Gök · Şilan Gümüş · Ülgen Merih Gürler · Yakup İskender · Ahsen Yağmur Kara · İrem Korkmaz · Ece Kuyu · Jayrona Normuminova · Hatice Orul · Derya Sevil · Hülya Taşdemir · Deniz Tutgun · Melih Uçmaz · Zehra Yaman · Damla Yamanel · Sinem Yıldırım

Wednesday, December 24th

12:00-13:00

Address: İBB Maltepe Art Gallery, Altayçeşme, Maltepe Cumhuriyet Meydanı, Maltepe

https://maps.app.goo.gl/C2FUznjE9aJb1Q6T6?g_st=ipc

At our 536th Art Gathering, we invite you to explore a "magical garden" hidden within a historic mansion overlooking the Bosphorus on the hills of Kuzguncuk. Together, we will visit the "Folia" exhibition, held at the Abdülmecid Efendi Mansion under the auspices of Koç Holding.

This mansion was built in the 1880s by the Egyptian Khedive Ismail Pasha as a hunting lodge. Later, it was purchased by Sultan Abdul Hamid II and allocated to the last Caliph, Abdülmecid Efendi, who was known for his artistic personality. Efendi transformed it from a mere summer residence into a vibrant cultural and artistic academy, hosting leading artists, writers, and intellectuals of the time.

Now, the "Folia" exhibition is located in this historically significant space. Curated by Selen Ansen and Eda Berkmen, the exhibition takes its name from the Latin word "folia," meaning both "leaf" and "madness, excess." Inspired by Ömer M. Koç's concept of a "magical garden," the exhibition explores this dual meaning. Engaging in a deep dialogue with the architecture and history of the mansion, the exhibition invites visitors into a multi-layered world where fantasy and reality, the familiar and the strange, intersect from the moment they step inside.

In this world, over 300 works by nearly 100 artists from a vast time span from the 19th century to the present day, and from a wide geographical area stretching from Japan to South Africa, are brought together. Paintings and sculptures, botanically inspired installations, and handcrafted objects are displayed side by side. Douglas White's giant "Black Palm" in the garden, Camila Rocha's "Hanging Fern" installation hanging from the building, and Rebecca Louise Law's site-specific works, including the "Net" made of dried flowers hanging from the ceiling, are among the highlights of the exhibition.

*Due to high demand, there may be long queues at the entrance. We kindly ask you to arrive early.

Wednesday, December 17

12:00-13:00

Address: Kuzguncuk, Kuşbakışı Caddesi No:18, Üsküdar

https://maps.app.goo.gl/tXnGRi592DZqiegU7?g_st=ipc

At our 535th Art Gathering, we are visiting the Rixos Tersane Istanbul and Aliée Collections.

The historical past of Tersane Istanbul dates back to 1453, the year of the conquest of Istanbul. Established as Tersane-i Amire (Imperial Shipyard) by order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, this area served as the center of the Ottoman Empire's naval power. Transforming into an industrial heritage site from the 20th century onwards, the historical shipyard has now gained a function as a cultural and life center after a comprehensive renovation process. The Rixos Tersane Istanbul and Aliée Art Collection possess an international and contemporary character. The collection focuses on site-specific, large-scale installations and sculptures by world-renowned artists. These works explore universal themes such as migration, identity, consumer culture, and memory.

Created with an approach parallel to the historical fabric of the Golden Horn and the craft culture it has preserved for centuries, the collections, along with Rixos Tersane Istanbul and Aliée, which embody the spirit of Istanbul, offer a unique selection that brings together art and craft, heritage and the present. Both collections bring together works by many local and international artists. We will tour the collections with curator Fahriye Çobanoğlu. https://alieeistanbul.com/en/the-art-collection

Wednesday, December 10

12:00-13:00

Address: Camiikebir, Taşkızak Tersanesi Caddesi No: 5, Beyoğlu

https://maps.app.goo.gl/3LVn8iyQu96eTLNS8?g_st=ipc