SURFACES OF MEMORY
Unfolding across surfaces where inherited visual traditions intersect with contemporary expression, the work stages dialogues between memory and material. Grounded in Turkish miniature painting, ornamental vocabularies, mythology, and the structural logics of the natural world, it renders cultural memory tangible — not as fixed references but as living presences. Each work becomes a space where heritage, nature, and artistic inquiry converge — where past and present coexist — translated with careful attention to line, composition, texture, form, and color, always in search of balance.
Günhan Bozkurt / 2025, Istanbul
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Though I had never imagined it, the first step in my career was working as a pharmacist. For a short while, I thought I could pursue this profession, but it was a futile effort... There was only one thing in my mind, heart, and soul: painting. While living in the city of Kütahya, I began painting in my master Ahmet Yakupoglu’s atelier. Then one day, I found myself working on miniatures — and what a joy that was! After the miniatures, Iznik tiles captured my heart and mind. I gave up my career as a pharmacist and established my own atelier. I started working on ceramics and holding exhibitions. Meanwhile, I completed my master’s degree in Ancient Ceramics Restoration at the Institute of Social Sciences, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.
Today, I continue to work with great enthusiasm every day in my atelier in Beykoz, Istanbul, creating new ceramic artworks.
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EXHIBITIONS, FAIRS & TALKS
2013 Group Exhibition – All Arts Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
2010 Solo Exhibition – Dibeklihan, Bodrum, Turkey
2010 Talk – International Women's Day, Turkish Women's Association, Doha, Qatar
2004 Santa Fe International Art Fair, USA
2003 Solo Exhibition – Seramitek, Istanbul, Turkey
2003 Solo Exhibition – Pera Art Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
2002 Solo Exhibition – 2 Maymun Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
2000 Solo Exhibition – 2 Maymun Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
1999 Group Exhibition – Artolia Traditional Arts Exhibition, Dolmabahçe, Istanbul, Turkey
1999 Arts & Crafts Fair, Ankara, Turkey
1998 4th International Art and Handicrafts Fair, Izmir, Turkey
1997 Group Exhibition – Ministry of Culture, 9th State Traditional Arts Exhibition, Ankara, Turkey
1997 3rd International Art and Handicrafts Fair, Izmir, Turkey
1995 Group Exhibition – Türkiye Is Bankasi, Traditional Arts Exhibition, Ankara, Turkey
1995 Group Exhibition – IZFAS Art Gallery, Turkish Ornamentation and Miniature, Izmir, Turkey
1995 Group Exhibition – Ressam Ahmet Yakupoglu Culture and Art Foundation, Kütahya, Turkey
1994 Group Exhibition – Ressam Ahmet Yakupoglu Culture and Art Foundation, Kütahya, Turkey
2010 Solo Exhibition – Dibeklihan, Bodrum, Turkey
2010 Talk – International Women's Day, Turkish Women's Association, Doha, Qatar
2004 Santa Fe International Art Fair, USA
2003 Solo Exhibition – Seramitek, Istanbul, Turkey
2003 Solo Exhibition – Pera Art Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
2002 Solo Exhibition – 2 Maymun Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
2000 Solo Exhibition – 2 Maymun Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
1999 Group Exhibition – Artolia Traditional Arts Exhibition, Dolmabahçe, Istanbul, Turkey
1999 Arts & Crafts Fair, Ankara, Turkey
1998 4th International Art and Handicrafts Fair, Izmir, Turkey
1997 Group Exhibition – Ministry of Culture, 9th State Traditional Arts Exhibition, Ankara, Turkey
1997 3rd International Art and Handicrafts Fair, Izmir, Turkey
1995 Group Exhibition – Türkiye Is Bankasi, Traditional Arts Exhibition, Ankara, Turkey
1995 Group Exhibition – IZFAS Art Gallery, Turkish Ornamentation and Miniature, Izmir, Turkey
1995 Group Exhibition – Ressam Ahmet Yakupoglu Culture and Art Foundation, Kütahya, Turkey
1994 Group Exhibition – Ressam Ahmet Yakupoglu Culture and Art Foundation, Kütahya, Turkey
