At our 566th Art Gathering, we are visiting the studio of painter Yalçın Gökçebağ.

Painter Yalçın Gökçebağ, known as the "Painter of Anatolian Dreams," was born in 1944 in Zeyve (Akkent) village of Çal district in Denizli, as the middle child of Tahir Öğretmen, a teacher, and Hayriye Hanım. After completing primary school in Çal, he entered Gönen Primary Teacher Training School (formerly known as Village Institute) in 1954, where he distinguished himself with his talent in painting and music. In 1957, he attended the Painting Seminar at Çapa Primary Teacher Training School; during this period, he received basic painting instruction from teachers such as Malik Aksel and İlhami Demirci. After graduating in 1961, he worked as a teacher for a year, then entered the Painting and Crafts Department of Gazi Education Institute in 1963, graduating in 1966. His professional life began as a painting teacher at the Akşehir Primary Teacher Training School. Between 1968 and 1970, he completed his military service as a reserve officer in Kütahya. After returning from military service, he worked in various jobs in İzmir before joining TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation) as a cameraman in 1971, a position he held for many years. Following his retirement, he worked as a lecturer in the Fine Arts Department at the Middle East Technical University (METU). His artistic approach reflects his work, which depicts the pastoral countryside of Anatolia, its nature, and human relationships in a simple, poetic, and sincere language. Although often referred to as a "naive painter," the artist describes this as a style created by subtlety; figures and landscapes are interwoven almost like embroidery. For Gökçebağ, whose inspiration for paintings comes from nature and the daily life of Anatolian people, the "Beetroot Carts" and their horse-drawn carriages he saw while teaching in Akşehir in 1965-66 were a significant turning point in his art. His career includes numerous solo and group exhibitions in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, and London. His works have been exhibited in prestigious venues such as Vakko Art Gallery and Armoni Art Gallery. For his contributions to art, he received the Contemporary Arts Foundation (ÇAĞSAV) Honorary Award in 2021 and won first place in the Painting category of the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards in 2025. Currently giving exhibitions in Istanbul, Yalçın Gökçebağ continues to leave his mark on Turkish painting with his unique style.

Wednesday, August 5th

12:00-13:00

Address: Caddebostan Mahallesi Cemil Topuzlu Caddesi 18 Mart Sokak Sahil Evleri No:9 A-3 Kadıköy

https://maps.app.goo.gl/3zuSppvQg8eFeTyR9?g_st=ic

At our 565th Art Gathering, we will visit the "Yoko Ono: Inner Voice and Inner Structure" exhibition at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum.

Yoko Ono, born February 18, 1933, in Tokyo, was a Japanese-American avant-garde artist, musician, and activist. Considered one of the most influential figures in changing the direction of contemporary art, Ono began her career in the avant-garde art circles of New York in the late 1950s; she pioneered works in many disciplines, including conceptual art, performance, experimental film, and music. Her art practice is based on viewer participation; she aims to transform the viewer from a passive observer into an active part of the work. Her artist book "Grapefruit," published in 1964, is considered a masterpiece of conceptual art with its instructions on art and life. Her music career was also very prolific; she has 26 albums, seven of which were with John Lennon. Known for her marriage to John Lennon and her peace activism, Ono continues to produce work despite being over 90 years old.

The exhibition brings together 67 works from Yoko Ono's more than 70 years of artistic output. It encompasses a wide range, from early instructional pieces and conceptual works to performance, film, installation, and participatory works. The exhibition features landmark pieces such as the artist's book "Grapefruit" (1964), the iconic performance "Cut Piece" in which the viewer cuts the artist's clothing with scissors, "Sky Ladders," and "Mend Piece," based on the act of repairing broken objects. The exhibition extends spatially, encompassing the museum's Galleries 2 and 3, as well as the garden and the Book Arts and Calligraphy Collection gallery within the Equestrian Pavilion. This sprawling arrangement invites visitors to deeply reflect on imagination, perception, participation, memory, peace, and interpersonal connections. The concepts of "insound" and "instructure," from which the exhibition takes its name, were coined by Ono in 1964 and form the conceptual framework of this exhibition. The exhibition is also accompanied by a Turkish-English catalog; this catalog includes texts by Ahu Antmen, Álvaro Rodríguez Fominaya, Connor Monahan, and Jon Hendricks, as well as Yoko Ono's own writings.

Museum Admission Fee

Adult: 450 TL

Discounted: 330 TL

Wednesday, July 29

12:00-13:00

Address: Emirgan, Sakıp Sabancı Caddesi No:42, Sarıyer

https://maps.app.goo.gl/JkgFtghubMW4way77?g_st=ic

At our 564th Art Gathering, we are visiting sculptor Cem Sağbil.

Cem Sağbil was born in 1958 in Kandilli, Zonguldak, on the Black Sea coast. After completing his high school education in Ankara between 1970-76, he studied interior decoration and industrial design at the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts from 1976-79. In 1979, he went to Stuttgart, Germany, and in 1981, he began his education in ceramics and sculpture at the Stuttgart University of Fine Arts. During this period, he established his first studio in Kernerstrasse in 1982, taught art and ceramics courses at Kolpinkwerk and VHS; and in the same years, he took architectural courses and participated in the realization of an adobe structure in Cyprus using the traditional dome method by architect Hasan Fatty. In 1988, he completed his education at the Stuttgart Academy of Fine Arts under the supervision of Prof. G. Spanulo.

Since 1991, he has focused primarily on bronze sculpture, in addition to working with tiles, oil paints, wood, ceramics, and metal. Known for his figurative style inspired by mythology and human relationships, the artist explored the harmony of East-West and male-female contrasts in iconic works such as "Hemera" and "Man Holding the Moon." In 1999, he founded Bronzhane, an art bronze casting workshop in İzmir, and was awarded the "Artist of the Year" prize in 2006-2007.

His works have been exhibited internationally in Stuttgart, Berlin, Reutlingen, Harvard University (USA), and Paris. His most notable achievement was the permanent purchase of his bronze sculptures "Hemera" and "Man Holding the Moon," exhibited in Paris in 2009 as part of the "Turkish Season in France," by the Paris 10th Arcade following his solo exhibition in 2010; making him the only Turkish sculptor with a permanent work in a Parisian public space.

Notable exhibitions in Türkiye include: 1997 IMKB Art Gallery, 1998 Vakko Galleries (Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara), 2001 Dolmabahçe Cultural Center, 2002 Çanakkale State Fine Arts Gallery, 2003-04 solo exhibitions titled "Balance" (Stuttgart, Istanbul, Izmir), 2004 Konak Pier (Izmir) and Galeri Artist in Berlin, 2006-07 Nurol Art Gallery (Ankara) and Çağla Cabaoğlu Art Gallery (Istanbul), 2008 Reutlingen, 2009 Grup Sanat Galerisi (Ankara), 2012 Alaçatı Atölye Su, 2013 Konak Municipality Cultural Center and Alaçatı Municipality Galeri Kırmızı Ardıç Kuşu, 2015 Galeri Narartiz (Izmir) and Odeabank OArt (Istanbul), and in 2018 Harvard University (USA), Folkart. The exhibitions at Towers (Izmir) and Atatürk Cultural Center (Izmir) stand out.

His square sculptures are located in various cities in Turkey, Germany, and France, including Ankara, Kuşadası, Çanakkale, Istanbul, Izmir, Stuttgart, Böblingen, Ludwigsburg, and Paris. The artist currently continues his work in Izmir and Istanbul.

Wednesday, July 22

12:00-13:00

Address: Yeşilce Çıkmazı No:3B Boğaziçi Caddesi, İstinye

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ULmT3XmS1vJRwVpR9?g_st=ic

In our 563rd Art Gathering, we are visiting opera singer Derya Kayaalp.

Derya Kayaalp is an opera singer and vocal coach living in Istanbul. She began her musical education at the Vocal Department of Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory High School, and then completed her university education in opera at SUNY Purchase College in the United States.

Throughout her education, she had the opportunity to work with teachers who have served at leading art institutions around the world, such as the Metropolitan Opera, Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, and Eastman School of Music. In 2016, she made her first opera album recording, performing the role of Ann Putnam in Robert Ward's Crucible with the Purchase Symphony Orchestra.

For over a decade, she has been providing training in vocal technique, repertoire, stage preparation, conservatory preparation, and singing diction in Italian, German, French, English, and Turkish. She teaches her students to sing in a healthy, free, and musical way, using their bodies and voices more consciously.

Derya's Studio provides one-on-one training for opera students, conservatory candidates, and individuals who want to improve their singing technique.

Wednesday, July 8th

12:00-13:00

Address: Zeytinoğlu Caddesi Akat Mahallesi Building No:8 Floor:2 Apartment No:6 Beşiktaş

https://maps.app.goo.gl/7gE7AsGY4j4aRFBa9?g_st=ic

At our 562st Art Gathering, we are visiting the exhibition of artist Merve Dündar at Quick Art Space.

Artist Merve Dündar passed away on April 9, 2026, at the age of 58. However, her deep connection with art continues to live on even after her death. The exhibition, "Morning Light Falling on the Notebook," whose preparations began in early 2025 while Dündar was still alive, was realized exactly as planned, in accordance with the wishes of the artist, her family, and her close circle.

Dündar's work stems from the question of how language, social norms, and sensory experiences shape emotional perception and the understanding of self and reality. In addition to drawings, sculptures, installations, and text-based works, her artistic practice also includes productions open to viewer participation. Using fragile and humble materials such as recycled paper, sewing, and chalk dust, the artist primarily uses paper in its various forms. In her continuous relationship with language, she treats words as both material and subject. Repetition, rhythm, layering, deconstruction, and reconstruction are the recurring formal strategies in her work.

The exhibition references the artist's notebooks, which she begins filling in the early morning hours, and her walks—her daily routines. It features a comprehensive selection of drawings, collages, assemblages, paintings, and installations produced over the past four years. We will hear about the exhibition from its curator, Nergis Abıyeva.

Wednesday, July 1st

12:00-13:00

Address: Quick Art Space, İçerenköy, Umut Sokak No:10-12, Ataşehir

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9692xBVshTns77YJ8?g_st=ic

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, “what comes with art returns to art”; 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 book focuses on the diverse uses of object, image, and material in contemporary art. Works encompassing painting, sculpture, installation, and various other 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.

As in previous editions, “Still Life” is accompanied by a comprehensive book. Edited by Süreyyya Evren, designed by Vahit Tuna, and featuring reproduction photographs by Engin Gerçek, the publication includes contributions from Ahmet Rüstem Ekici & Hakan Sorar, Alp İşmen, Ani Çelik Arevyan, Burçak Bingöl, Canan Tolon, Doğu Özgün, Ezgi Kılınçaslan, Hakan Akçura, Ilgın Seymen, İrem Tok, Kaan Fıçıcı, Lara Ögel, Mehmet Ali Boran, Nazan Azeri, Pelda Aytaş, and Sena, who explore the concept of still life through works that have left a mark on their lives. The book also brings together thoughts on still life paintings by artists from different periods such as Arcimboldo, Bacon, Van Gogh, Magritte, Burri, Claudia Hart, Odilon Redon, Nur Koçak, Ori Gersht, and Feyhaman Duran, while also including special texts written by Taner Ceylan for the artists in the exhibition.

Wednesday, June 24

12:00-13:00

Address: Eski Posta Han, Arap Cami Mahallesi, Bereketzade Medresesi Sokak No:21, Beyoğlu

https://maps.app.goo.gl/7Np9dSFup4SzQ9sb9?g_st=ic