For our 573rd Art Gathering, we are visiting the “Collectors” Edition of Artweeks Istanbul, held at Akaretler Row Houses.
Organized by Bilgili Sanat, the event brings together three of Turkey’s leading private collections in a public space outside the museum setting, featuring a concept that takes art out from behind closed doors and into the street. The project’s idea first took shape through discussions with Hakan Çarmıklı—who had followed the event since its inception—and, under his leadership and invitation, two other collectors joined the project.
The first collection featured in the exhibition is “Reunion” from the Banu & Hakan Çarmıklı Collection (Buildings A25-27). The couple’s journey as collectors began in 1988 with paintings by masters of the classical period, as well as Ottoman glassware and porcelain; following the acquisition of an Adnan Çoker painting, their focus shifted toward modern and contemporary art. Today, their collection—shaped around issues such as migration, the environment, gender inequality, and identity—includes a strong emphasis on female artists and feminist approaches.
The second collection is “Passion and Patience” (Tutku ve Sabır) from the Öner Kocabeyoğlu Collection, curated by Levent Çalıkoğlu (Buildings A43-45). Kocabeyoğlu’s collecting journey began about 20 years ago with a small Selim Turan painting he encountered at an auction; today, under the umbrella of the Papko Art Collection, it has evolved into a vast body of work ranging from School of Paris artists—such as Fikret Mualla, Abidin Dino, Avni Arbaş, Mübin Orhon, and Komet—to contemporary figures like Tony Cragg, Antony Gormley, Alicja Kwade, and Gregor Hildebrandt. The third collection is “Sükûn ve Galeyan / At Peace and On Fire” from the Tansa Mermerci Collection (Building A23). Mermerci’s journey as a collector—which began in the 2000s with Islamic and Orientalist artworks and shifted from modern to contemporary art—spans a wide range of media, from photorealistic painting to textiles, and from photography and video to conceptual works incorporating everyday objects; it establishes strong connections around themes such as gender, the body, family, domestic life, and the experience of womanhood.
Wednesday, September 23
12:00–13:00