DÖNEMLERİN TANIKLIĞI

Galeri Soyut invites viewers on a journey into the memory of Turkish painting with its second major collection selection of 2026, “Dönemlerin Tanıklığı”. Opened on the virtual platform on March 13, the exhibition traces the master brushstrokes and pencils that have shaped the character of Turkish art since the mid-20th century.

One of the most striking sections of the selection consists of works by figures such as İbrahim Balaban and Turgut Zaim, who integrated the themes of "locality" and "social realism" into Turkish painting. Balaban's dramatic power in peasant figures and Zaim's engravings depicting the people of Anatolia like fairy tale heroes are the strongest testimonies reflecting Turkey's cultural texture of that period. Muammer Bakır’s woodcuts and Cihat Özegemen’s pastel works enrich this historical narrative with technical diversity.

The exhibition also features the graphic explorations of names such as Zeki Faik İzer, one of the most important figures of Turkish modernism, and Füreya Koral, a pioneer of ceramic art. The works of names such as Duran Karaca and Mustafa Ayaz, reflecting the naive and poetic approach of the 1960s and 70s, are among the other important elements determining the rhythm of the selection. Tuncay Betil's mixed media trials from the 80s and Naime Saltan's batik works carry the chronological flow of the exhibition towards contemporary explorations.

“Dönemlerin Tanıklığı” is, beyond being an inventory listing, a mirror held up to Turkey's art memory. Each piece in the collection carries the excitement of the moment it left the artist's hand and the aesthetic values of that day to the present. Galeri Soyut's digital curation offers both an educational perspective for young art lovers and opens the door to rediscovering rare period works for experienced collectors.