At our 561st Art Gathering, we are visiting the Olympos Exhibitions “Still Life.”
This project is a multi-layered art initiative inspired by Taner Ceylan’s olive grove in Olympos, bringing together exhibition, publication, and mentoring processes. Organized by Taner Ceylan Studio, it hosts the works of emerging artists in various disciplines such as painting, sculpture, photography, video, and installation in historical venues of Istanbul. The project is also accompanied by publications featuring texts written by renowned Turkish artists. In Ceylan’s words, “art comes and goes”; this entire process comes to life with the independent support of collectors and individuals and institutions from the art community.
The fourth edition of the series, “Still Life,” will be on display at Eski Posta Han in Karaköy from June 12-26. Previously launched in 2019 with "Portrait" at the Sadık Paşa Mansion, the series moved to Zülfaris Karaköy for "Landscape" in 2021 and to the Historical Flour Mill Building for "Interior" in 2024. Focusing on five fundamental themes of art history, this project now concentrates on still life. The exhibition features works by Ayşe Uluçay, Chorus of Body, Defne Hadiş, Ece Erbil, Hilmican Özdemir, Manolya Çelikler, Onur Kaymak, Özge Akdeniz, and Sinan Orakçı. Ceylan, through a mentoring process spanning approximately two years, rethinks the concept of still life with the artists through their own practices, research, and material choices.
Still life, in its classical sense, is a deeply rooted genre based on the representation of objects, interwoven with themes such as time, transience, ownership, and death. This exhibition interprets that tradition through the eyes of contemporary artists. The exhibition focuses on the diverse uses of objects, images, and materials in contemporary art. Works encompassing painting, sculpture, installation, and various media establish a strong dialogue with the historical postal, printing, and commercial identity of Eski Posta Han, a significant example of late 19th-century Istanbul architecture.
Wednesday, June 24
12:00-13:00
Address: Eski Posta Han, Arap Cami Mahallesi, Bereketzade Medresesi Sokak No:21, Beyoğlu