Spring 2023 exhibitions

Cengiz Çekil: I Am Still Alive
Curator: Eda Berkmen
February 9–September 24, 2023

One of the pioneering figures of conceptual art in Turkey, Cengiz Çekil (1945–2015) used everyday materials in his works starting from the 1970s. The artist recontextualised, serialised and transformed daily objects, familiar phrases and forms to reflect on the socio-political circumstances of his country. Bringing together local and current affairs with universal and abstract forms, the artist explored existential questions about death, energy, time and faith. Spread over the 4th and 3rd-floor gallery spaces of Arter, the retrospective exhibition I Am Still Alive highlights Çekil’s artistic practice as a daily ritual celebrating life despite all its difficulties and emphasizes its relevance today.

Eva Koťátková: I Sometimes Imagine I’m a Fish with Legs
Curator: Eda Berkmen
March 16–August 27, 2023

Eva Koťátková’s solo exhibition titled I Sometimes Imagine I’m a Fish with Legs examines individuals’ disposition within social structures and their systemic causes, as well as the institutional frameworks that enable the presentation of artworks. The exhibition located on Arter’s entrance floor is posed as an environment that appeals to the entire body, calling for an exploration by touch, movement and imagination. Drawings, sculptures and narratives, each constituting a work on its own, come together to host, support and inspire visitors situated by the artist as creative partners in a quest to create a communal testing ground within the gallery space for finding different ways of connecting and sharing. 

Elina Brotherus: Large de Vue
Curator: Emre Baykal
March 2–August 27, 2023

Elina Brotherus’ solo exhibition titled Large de Vue provides an overall view of the artist’s practice by placing particular emphasis on the relations her works forge with art history, as well as with music and sound. The exhibition at Arter’s Gallery -1 features Brotherus’ photographic series titled Large de Vue: Hommage à Erik Satie [Breadth of Vision: Homage to Erik Satie, 2006] from the Arter Collection together with a selection of her more recent video works.

Sarkis: ENDLESS
Curator: Emre Baykal
May 4, 2023–February 4, 2024

In his solo exhibition titled ENDLESS, Sarkis brings together a selection of his works from the Arter Collection and reinterprets each of them within a larger body they construct together in their current setting. Presented on Arter’s 2nd floor, ENDLESS spans a wide period of time in Sarkis’ production, from the 1980s through to Respiro—an installation exhibited in the Pavilion of Turkey at the Venice Biennale in 2015. In addition to concepts and themes frequently encountered in Sarkis’ works, such as warming, burning, camouflage, memory, traces, atelier and home, the exhibition emphasises the crucial role played by light, colour and music in his artistic practice.

Nuri Kuzucan: Passage
Curator: Nilüfer Şaşmazer
June 1–December 31, 2023

Nuri Kuzucan’s solo exhibition titled Passage explores the concepts of transitivity, transience and fluency within a site-specific architectural setting by featuring new productions together with a selection of the artist’s earlier works. Conceived around dualities such as light vs. shadow, emptiness vs. fullness, surface vs. depth, the exhibition at Arter’s Gallery 1 centres on both mental and perceptual transitivity and fluidity. Aiming to transform the transitional space in which the artworks are presented into a non-hierarchical ground for encounter and negotiation, Passage suggests a connection between the pictorial space and the exhibition space. 

Click here for Arter’s current exhibitions and events programme.

Press contact
Senem Çelikörslü, senemc [​at​] arter.org.tr / T +90 212 708 58 45