At our 549th Art Gathering, we are visiting the "A Year in the Passage" workshop.

"A Year in the Passage" was established to cover the production costs and provide a workshop environment for young artists who have graduated from the Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts for a year. The workshop activities are conducted under the supervision of Painter Prof. Dr. Nedret Sekban, one of the project's initiators and coordinator, and international artist Aslı Özok.

Now in its sixth year, the project provides young artists with the opportunity to meet art professionals and collectors at important art fairs such as Artweeks, Contemporary Istanbul, and ArtContact.

Artists participating in our project this year:

· Muzaffer Tuna

· Ayça Selcen Korgun

· Dilek Laçin

· Ezgi Kanargı

· Gizem Şanlı

· Mehmet Anik

· Mevsim Çağan

· Sena Gökçeoğlu

· Yaren Aycı

· Yavuz Uzun

We will visit the project, which is sponsored by İyi Finans for workshops and meals, accompanied by the project coordinator, artist Aslı Özok.

Wednesday, March 25

12:00-13:00

Address: Mecidiyeköy Mahallesi, Büyükdere Caddesi No:76 Kat:4 İyi Finans Office Floor, Şişli

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Gv9P2Nirq7xxrNRn7?g_st=ic

At our 548th Art Gathering, we are visiting the studio of artist İhsan Oturmak.

İhsan Oturmak's practice focuses on space, power relations, and the invisible structures of everyday life. Through painting, video, sculpture, and installation, the artist explores how individuals are positioned within a space and the invisible norms that determine their behavior. In his works, figures, objects, and architectural elements are often in tense relationships with space. These arrangements make visible the fragility of concepts such as belonging, ownership, and settlement.

In Oturmak's works, everyday objects and architectural details are not merely depicted elements; they also emerge as signs carrying the invisible boundaries of social structures. Through an intuitive visual language, the artist questions the relationship between the individual and space, inviting the viewer to reflect on the invisible order behind these relationships.

In his recent works, Oturmak examines the relationship between space and collective memory, particularly focusing on how migration, belonging, and indirect relationships with the state leave their mark on everyday spaces. Observational sketches, photographs, and short videos are incorporated into his production as part of this research process.

Born in 1987, the artist is a graduate of Marmara University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Painting. Her work has been featured in numerous international exhibitions and biennials. These include “Painting This Day” at Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts in Istanbul, the 8th Çanakkale Biennial, the 4th Mardin Biennial, “Four Positions in Painting” at the Peter Kilchmann Gallery in Zurich, “Don’t Look Back, Deep is the Past” at OMM Odunpazarı Modern Museum, “Curating War” at Kunstraum Innsbruck, and “Journeys” at Espace Cultural Louis Vuitton.

Wednesday, March 18

12:00-13:00

Address: Cihangir, Güneşli Sokak No:40 Daire:8 Beyoğlu

https://maps.app.goo.gl/MtNCK21jaEAcUxF59?g_st=ic

In our 547th Art Gathering, we are visiting the studio of ceramic artist Aslı Aydemir.

Born in Istanbul in 1973, Aydemir began her education at Saint Michel French High School, continued her academic journey at Istanbul University's French Philology department, and then, due to her strong artistic inclination, crowned her studies at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University's Ceramics and Glass Design Department. After graduating as the top student in her class, she strengthened her academic background by pursuing postgraduate studies in Industrial Design at Marmara University's Institute of Fine Arts. Between 2005 and 2017, she also reinforced her academic identity by teaching ceramics at Boğaziçi University. Since 2007, she has continued her artistic production in her own studio in Istanbul.

The artist treats ceramics not only as a material but also as a narrative language. Inspired by the unpredictable nature of ceramics, Aydemir blends this randomness with the dynamics of the society she lives in, presenting it to the viewer. The themes that stand out in her works, which bear the traces of her geography, include the issue of women, peace interests, and religious elements. While using ceramics as her main material, the artist adopts a technique based on unit multiplication through molding and prefers installation as her form of expression.

Aslı Aydemir has participated in many important group exhibitions, fairs, and symposiums in Turkey; and has represented Turkey in international exhibitions and workshops held in countries such as Spain, Germany, and Switzerland. Since 2016, she has made a name for herself with solo exhibitions such as “Restoration of Reputation,” “Social Media Effect,” “Chinatown,” and “la vie m’suffit,” and in 2025, she met with art lovers with her solo exhibition titled “euphoria’s abyss” and her curatorial project titled “sacred intersection.”

Wednesday, March 11

12:00-13:00

Address: Türkali Mahallesi Altıntaş Sokak No: 12/A Beşiktaş

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ygwta9pGMzgk5Tjc6?g_st=ic

At our 546th Art Gathering, we are visiting the "İbrahim Çallı Retrospective Exhibition" at the Istanbul Art Museum. The exhibition of İbrahim Çallı, who led a life "as rebellious as his brush, as colorful as his palette," brings together the master's works in various genres. Titled "The Memory of Color, The Soul of the Brush, A Passionate Life Lived with Colors: İbrahim Çallı," the exhibition features a total of 64 oil paintings and mixed media works, as well as 24 photographs. The works in the exhibition consist of portraits, landscapes, figurative depictions, and nature-themed pieces. One of the most striking works in the exhibition is a portrait of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, painted by the artist himself. Born in 1882 in Çal district of Denizli, İbrahim Çallı graduated from the School of Fine Arts with top honors and was sent to Paris in 1910. Having trained for four years in the studio of the renowned French painter Fernand Cormon, Çallı returned to Turkey in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I and, together with other painters, formed the school of art known as the "1914 Generation" or "Çallı Generation." This generation introduced Impressionism to Turkish painting and worked together in the Şişli Studio, which was established to create war paintings. Despite his academic training, Çallı is known for his free and fluid brushstrokes and his emphasis on the harmony of light and color. He drew his subjects from daily life, the glittering landscapes of Istanbul (especially Göksu, Emirgan, and the Bosphorus), portraits, and still lifes; his still lifes made from trees in the Academy garden are known as "Çallı's famous magnolias." Having taught at the Academy of Fine Arts for many years, Çallı trained important figures of Turkish painting such as Şeref Akdik, Refik Epikman, Elif Naci, Ali Avni Çelebi, Zeki Kocamemi, and Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu. Continuing his activity during the Republican era, the artist painted portraits of Atatürk and reflected the revolutions and social changes of the period in his works. We will tour the exhibition with Sertaç Dinçer, the director of Istanbul Art.

Wednesday, March 4th

12:00-13:00

Address: Bedrettin, Şişhane Caddesi, No:57, Beyoğlu

https://maps.app.goo.gl/gVvAviQKRhBrHj596?g_st=ic

At our 544th Art Meeting, we are at the “Semiha Berksoy: Aria of All Colors” exhibition at Istanbul Modern. Born in 1910 and passed away in 2004, Berksoy was not only Turkey's first female opera singer; she was also a multifaceted intellectual of the Republic who made the stage her canvas, the brush her voice, and life itself art.

The exhibition, featuring over 200 works by Berksoy, is not merely a retrospective; it presents a layered narrative that reveals the unique relationships she forged between opera, theatre, painting, and literature. The selection, ranging from early drawings to opera-themed paintings she brought to the stage, from self-portraits to tablecloth paintings, reveals Berksoy's personal mythology and the deep connection she had with the stage.

She left her mark with her role as Ayşim in Özsoy, the first Turkish opera seen by Atatürk in 1934. In 1939, she became the first Turkish soprano to appear on the European stage, taking on the leading role in Richard Strauss's opera Ariadne auf Naxos in Berlin. She was also the lead actress in Turkey's first sound film, *Istanbul Streets*. She also entered the world of literature with her short story *Letter from the Grave*, published in 1935. At the age of 89, she performed at the Lincoln Center in New York; her paintings were exhibited at the Venice Biennale.

The exhibition explores all these works through a thematic structure. In a red room, the stage atmosphere is recreated, and the warmth of improvisation is felt in the canvas paintings. In the literature room, Berksoy's relationship with her pen is examined. In the film archive, stills from *Istanbul Streets* trace her mark on cinema.

*Museum tickets can be obtained at the box office.

Full Ticket 550 TL

Student 320 TL

https://www.oggusto.com/sanat/sanatci/semiha-berksoy-kimdir-eserleri

Wednesday, February 18

12:00-13:00

Address: Kılıçali Paşa, Tophane İskele Caddesi No:1/1, Beyoğlu

https://maps.app.goo.gl/68yTiXfyim5apcri6?g_st=ic

At our 544th Art Meeting, we are at the “Semiha Berksoy: Aria of All Colors” exhibition at Istanbul Modern. Born in 1910 and passed away in 2004, Berksoy was not only Turkey's first female opera singer; she was also a multifaceted intellectual of the Republic who made the stage her canvas, the brush her voice, and life itself art.

The exhibition, featuring over 200 works by Berksoy, is not merely a retrospective; it presents a layered narrative that reveals the unique relationships she forged between opera, theatre, painting, and literature. The selection, ranging from early drawings to opera-themed paintings she brought to the stage, from self-portraits to tablecloth paintings, reveals Berksoy's personal mythology and the deep connection she had with the stage.

She left her mark with her role as Ayşim in Özsoy, the first Turkish opera seen by Atatürk in 1934. In 1939, she became the first Turkish soprano to appear on the European stage, taking on the leading role in Richard Strauss's opera Ariadne auf Naxos in Berlin. She was also the lead actress in Turkey's first sound film, *Istanbul Streets*. She also entered the world of literature with her short story *Letter from the Grave*, published in 1935. At the age of 89, she performed at the Lincoln Center in New York; her paintings were exhibited at the Venice Biennale.

The exhibition explores all these works through a thematic structure. In a red room, the stage atmosphere is recreated, and the warmth of improvisation is felt in the canvas paintings. In the literature room, Berksoy's relationship with her pen is examined. In the film archive, stills from *Istanbul Streets* trace her mark on cinema.

*Museum tickets can be obtained at the box office.

Full Ticket 550 TL

Student 320 TL

https://www.oggusto.com/sanat/sanatci/semiha-berksoy-kimdir-eserleri

Wednesday, February 18

12:00-13:00

Address: Kılıçali Paşa, Tophane İskele Caddesi No:1/1, Beyoğlu

https://maps.app.goo.gl/68yTiXfyim5apcri6?g_st=ic