At our 528th Art Meeting, we're visiting the 12th Artweeks, which includes the Art for Good Association.

The Art for Good Association, which always prioritizes the healing and unifying power of art, has undertaken another meaningful project by participating in the 12th Artweeks Istanbul. The event, brought to life by Bilgili Holding's vision, will be held at Akaretler Sıraevler and The Ritz-Carlton Residences Istanbul from October 15–26.

The association's exhibition, curated by me, will open to the public on Wednesday at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Block B, on Floor -1. This special selection adopts an inclusive approach, featuring artists from our association as well as independent artists. Bringing together 53 works by 15 artists, the exhibition reinterprets ancient forms of representation, such as portraits and landscapes, through Foucault's concept of "subjectification."

The exhibition will be open to the public free of charge until October 26th, from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, on the -1st floor of The Ritz-Carlton Residences.

Artists featured in the exhibition:

Ahmet Hamdi Başsöz, Asya Nur Hasgül, Barışcan Seval, Elif Ece Kazan, Emir Furkan Tekkalmaz, Erman Gürcüm, Esra Mengülerek, Fatih Özkan, Kardelen Erken, Melike Melena, Melisa Geçalp, Merve Topuz, Modilda, Nida Erdoğan, Rabia Yıldırım

Wednesday, October 15th

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (Preview)

Address: The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Istanbul (Fulya entrance), Block B, -1st Floor

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tk9aX675zNnsxWzG7?g_st=ipc

At our 527th Art Meeting, we are visiting the Garden of the Former French Orphanage as part of the 18th Istanbul Biennial.

In 1869, Sultan Abdülaziz allocated this land, which housed a four-story mansion, to the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, on the condition that it be used as an orphanage. The Saint-Joseph French Orphanage opened its doors that same year, along with the adjacent Saint Eugène Primary School. Both institutions remained in operation until 1937. Due to the building's deteriorating condition and legal proceedings regarding its ownership, the building has been unused for some time. The surrounding garden, once known for its orchard, wells, terraces, and flowing water sources, now serves as a public social facility opened to the public by the Beyoğlu Municipality under the name "Tophane Mekan."

Khalil Rabah (b. 1961, Jerusalem) is an artist, curator, and educator who lives and works in Ramallah. Rabah is the founder and artistic director of the ongoing Palestinian Museum of Natural History and Humankind project. In his multidisciplinary conceptual practice, the artist explores displacement, memory, and identity through architectural, ecological, and speculative institutional structures. His solo exhibitions include Through the Palestinian Museum of Natural History and Humankind, Fondazione Merz, Turin (2024); What is not, Sharjah Art Association (2022); Relocation, Among Other Things, Salzburger Kunstverein (2022). His group exhibitions include Desert X AlUla (2022), the 2nd Lahore Biennale (2020), and Manifesta 12, Palermo (2018). Rabah's garden piece, Red Rotavesait (2025), is a conceptual device and spatial intervention that opens and disrupts different paths of labor, movement, and belonging. The installation is an extension of Khalil Rabah's career-long interest in land struggles, deportation, and the questioning of dominant historical narratives. Nestled in a secluded corner of the public garden of the Former French Orphanage, the work invites biennial visitors to wander—and encounter obstacles—within a structure of barriers, thresholds, and contradictory signs. The structural features shaping the installation simultaneously reflect the orphanage's history as a refuge and a space of domination.

https://bienal.iksv.org/tr/18b-sanatcilar/khalil-rabah

Wednesday, October 8

12:00-1:00 PM

Address: Tomtom, Boğazkesen Caddesi 65c, Beyoğlu

https://maps.app.goo.gl/RAYKw2FCa1cPdtENA?g_st=ipc

We're visiting the Elhamra Han as part of the 18th Istanbul Biennial at the 526th Art Meeting.

Curator Christine Tohmé's "Three-Legged Cat" projected the 18th Istanbul Biennial, breaking with traditional formats and spanning three years. The first leg of the biennial, centered around themes of self-preservation and future possibilities, took place at eight different venues along the Beyoğlu-Karaköy route from September 20 to November 23, 2025.

One of these venues is the Elhamra Han, a historically significant venue in Istanbul's memory. Built in 1827 as one of the city's first theaters, the building, with its glass entrance, was once known as the "Palais de Cristal" (Crystal Palace). Over the years, it has hosted theater, music, and cinema events. After the great fire in 1999, the inn continued to serve various purposes, and two apartments on the second floor were opened as exhibition spaces for the biennial.

The artists featured at the Elhamra Han are Mona Benyamin, Şafak Şule Kemancı, Jagdeep Raina, Riar Rizaldi, Lara Saab, Natasha Tontey, and Sevil Tunaboylu.

https://bienal.iksv.org/tr/18-istanbul-bienali/kavramsal-cerceve

Wednesday, October 1st

12:00-1:00 PM

Address: Asmalı Mescit, Beyoğlu

https://maps.app.goo.gl/KnBVhXmH1jbLpB8J8?g_st=ipc

At our 525th Art Meeting, we will be meeting at Gallery Beylikdüzü, in the exhibition "Layers of the Collection," which brings together our association's ten-year collection.

The Art for Good Association's accumulated works not only present a selection of works; they also invite a comprehensive exploration of the layers of art's production, relationships, and meaning. The exhibition's title itself points to this multifaceted structure: from projects providing production support to young artists to meetings that strengthen intergenerational dialogue, from projects that bring local production to the forefront to collective labor, these layers form the foundation of the collection.

The 524 Art Meetings and 277 artist workshop visits held over the course of ten years constituted the collection's most important resources. The works of the artists involved in our projects are also added to this collection, demonstrating that the association has established not only an archive but also a living and thriving art ecosystem.

"Layers of the Collection" reveals a relational network that goes beyond individual creativity, bringing together spaces, materials, institutions, and collective labor. The exhibition shares with the audience the bridge art forms between the past and the future, inviting them to explore the collective nature of cultural production.

We invite you and your friends to our opening to discover the traces of this meaningful journey together.

Tuesday, September 23, 12:00-1:00 PM

Address: Marmara, Avrasya Caddesi No:17/2, Beylikdüzü

https://maps.app.goo.gl/s87faNbWXYXvRmPc8?g_st=ipc

At our 524th Art Meeting, we visit the studio of artist Ceyda Güler.

Graduating top of her class and faculty from the Painting Department of Erciyes University's Faculty of Fine Arts in 2001, the artist continued her academic journey at the Marmara University Institute of Educational Sciences, completing her Master's degree in 2003 and her Doctorate in 2010. She completed the Proficiency in Art program in the Painting Department of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in 2023. Güler began working as a Research Assistant in the Department of Basic Education at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in 2007. She became an Assistant Professor in 2011, an Associate Professor in 2018, and a Professor in 2025. She continues to work at the same institution. Having held three solo exhibitions, the artist has also produced work that has garnered international attention. Among the artist's significant international participations are the Artexpo Arezzo Art Fair held in Italy in 2012, the Exhibition of Turkish Visual Arts at the Cafa Art Museum in China in 2014, the Küçükşeyler 13 exhibition at the Constanta Art Museum in Romania in 2012, and the 2024 VII. Biennale internacional de Pintura de Guayaquil at the Museo Luis A. Noboa Naranjo in Ecuador. Güler is the recipient of three awards and continues his work in his studio in Istanbul.

The artist's creative practice focuses on the concept of transparency, which has been addressed in various ways throughout art history. In his quest to create the illusion of three dimensions, the effect of space or depth on a two-dimensional surface, Güler utilizes classical methods such as perspective, ratio-proportion, and modeling, as well as the use of transparent materials and layered surface constructions. In this process, the structural properties of pigments, mixing mediums, and layering methods are important tools that enhance the artist's perception of depth.

In the artist's paintings, the lower layer possesses a spiritual and expressive quality, while the balance he establishes with the rational and intellectual structure of the upper layer offers the viewer both a sensory and intellectual experience. Thus, permeability becomes not only a technical effect but also a vehicle for the artist's intellectual approach.

Tuesday, September 16

12:00-13:00

Address: Altayçeşme Neighborhood, Bomaç Street, No:3, Maltepe

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Yd8spR37PVRUbptw5?g_st=ipc

For our 523rd Art Meeting, we are gathering at Akasya, where the works of artist Deniz Sağdıç, whose studio we previously visited, are being exhibited. This project, implemented in collaboration with the Art for Good Association and Akiş GYO, is part of the project.

Since its founding, the Art for Good Association has been developing projects aimed at connecting art to diverse audiences. For years, Akiş GYO has been bringing art to the public by bringing it to the public spaces of shopping malls. This collaboration has created a sustainable cultural and artistic environment; the "Art for Good" project, which provides visibility to young artists, is one of the most powerful examples of this work.

As part of "Art for Good," young artists from various disciplines had the opportunity to exhibit their works within the context of urban life. Each participating artist shared their own work with a wider audience and gained experience in collective production. In this context, the Atatürk Portrait featured in the exhibition was produced with the contributions of Deniz Sağdıç and the "Art for Good" project artists, and stands out as a symbol of collaborative production and a sustainable approach.

Afterwards, at 2:00 PM, we invite all our members to a talk with our Association President Kamuran Selin Bozkurt and artist Deniz Sağdıç.

Tuesday, September 9th

12:00-1:00 PM

Address: Acıbadem, Çeçen Street No: 25, Üsküdar (On the ground floor, in front of Beyaz Fırın on the left)

https://maps.app.goo.gl/V71kvHzFd8B5ZnMw5?g_st=ipc