The exhibition, which traces journeys to Ottoman lands from the 15th to the 20th century, brings together over 300 artifacts.
The "Art of Travel: From the Sadberk Hanım Museum and Ömer Koç Collections" exhibition opens at Meşher. Spanning a broad period from the late 15th century to the first quarter of the 20th century, the exhibition explores journeys to Ottoman lands through their motivations, and features rare works selected from the Sadberk Hanım Museum and Ömer Koç Collections.
The exhibition, opened as part of the Koç Group's 100th anniversary, was prepared by the Sadberk Hanım Museum with a narrative representing the Group's 100-year journey interwoven with humanitarian values.
The exhibition focuses on travelogues that treat the concept of travel not merely as a displacement, but as a conscious practice of selection and recording.
In addition to travelogues, paintings reflecting the world of the period and objects related to the Ottoman geography can also be seen in the exhibition as parts of this visual and intellectual production process.
Curated by M. Merve Uca from the Sadberk Hanım Museum and coordinated by Hülya Bilgi, Director of the Sadberk Hanım Museum, the exhibition invites visitors to a multi-layered historical narrative with a selection ranging from the wonders of nature to diplomatic gifts.
A 500-YEAR SELECTION
The main backbone of the exhibition is formed by the Sadberk Hanım Museum (SHM) and Ömer Koç Collections. In addition, selected loaned works from the Rahmi M. Koç and Caroline N. Koç collections are also included in the exhibition. In particular, paintings produced as a result of diplomatic travels and a portolan map, acquired by the SHM through a donation from Çiğdem Simavi and constituting the first steps of a new collection group, are at the center of the exhibition. The exhibition brings together works centered around the theme of travel, forming a shared narrative. Highlights include pieces by renowned artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Jacopo Ligozzi, and Louis-François Cassas, as well as travel books, Istanbul cityscapes, diplomatic gifts, maps, and significant visual resources documenting the Ottoman world. The exhibition was conceived both to highlight the strengths of these exceptional collections and to tell a cohesive story.
Hülya Bilgi, Director of the Sadberk Hanım Museum, stated at the press conference that the exhibition was inspired by the museum's long-standing experience as well as paintings recently donated by Çiğdem Simavi: “High-quality decorative and ethnographic art pieces selected from our museum's collections have been supplemented by travelogues, albums, and paintings generously donated by Mr. Ömer Koç. This synergy between the collections has given us the opportunity to showcase the diverse central theme of travel in a very rich narrative. The quality and variety of the works have allowed us to vividly portray the intercultural importance of travel and its power to shape history within a broad framework.”
BOTH A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND A CREATIVE FORM OF PRODUCTION
The exhibition's curator, M. Merve Uca, described the meticulously conducted preparation process as follows: “This exhibition is actually the result of years of institutional experience. The intensive preparation process lasted approximately one and a half years. The selection of works, research, expert consultations, conservation processes, photography, catalog preparation, and design work were carried out simultaneously. The most challenging but also the most enjoyable aspect was bringing together very different disciplines under a single narrative. Travel transforms one's perspective on the world. It creates observation, comparison, curiosity, and a desire to tell stories. Many of the works in the exhibition consist of books, paintings, and objects that emerged as a result of a journey. In this sense, travel is both a source of inspiration and a creative form of production.”
Meşher Director Nilüfer H. Konuk, in her speech at the press conference, expressed her happiness that the exhibition, prepared in collaboration with the Sadberk Hanım Museum as part of the Koç Group's 100th anniversary, is being held at Meşher. She stated that following the "Preserving the Past" exhibition held at Meşher in 2020 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Sadberk Hanım Museum, the "Art of Travel" exhibition also provided an opportunity to bring rare works to a wider audience.
'THE ART OF TRAVEL'
Rather than a chronological narrative, the exhibition offers a reading through thematic sections structured around travel motivations. Under headings such as curiosity, belief, diplomacy, war, trade, and tourism, it examines why people embark on journeys and how these journeys leave visual and material traces.
Drawing upon the body of work known in Western literature as "Ars Apodemica," meaning "the art of travel," the exhibition allows visitors to see not only past journeys but also how encounters, exchange of information, and cultural interaction produce new works and perspectives. In this respect, the exhibition treats travel not merely as a movement, but as a transformative experience.
THEMATIC SECTIONS
The Art of Travel largely consists of thematic sections structured around travel motivations. Throughout history, travel has occurred for various reasons, including curiosity, belief, political mission, war, trade, and, over time, tourist desire. These headings provide a strong framework for understanding the multifaceted history of travel and the scope of the works that resulted from it.
The "Curiosity" section focuses on journeys driven by a desire to explore nature, human communities, cities, and the unknown. This section highlights travelogues, natural history publications, costume albums, and observational works.
The "Faith" section features pilgrimages and journeys to holy places. Visual and written materials centered around the Kaaba, Jerusalem, and sacred routes are presented to the visitor.
The "War" section explores the activity stemming from campaigns, sieges, and conflicts; accompanied by maps, engravings, and propaganda images. This section also includes works produced within the framework of Turkophobia, which circulated without direct witnessing.
The "Diplomacy" section examines embassy delegations, reception ceremonies, the culture of gift-giving, and forms of interstate representation. Artists accompanying ambassadors and the visual records they produced are important elements of this section.
The "Trade" section emphasizes the circulation of ideas, tastes, and aesthetic sensibilities alongside commodities. While carpets, textiles, ceramics, and materials related to trade routes are highlighted, the transformation of cultural habits such as coffee consumption can also be observed.
The closing section, focusing on tourism, examines the new travel culture that accelerated with steamships and railways in the 19th century. It describes a period when travel transformed from a duty or obligation into an experience and a desire.
Thus, visitors can see, under different headings, that travel is not only a geographical movement but also a way of perceiving and reconstructing the world.
The Art of Travel exhibition, opening on May 8th, can be visited at Meşher until May 23, 2027.
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE
The exhibition catalogue has also been published in two separate books, in Turkish and English. The catalogue, which includes a foreword by Ömer M. Koç, an introduction by Hülya Bilgi, Director of the Sadberk Hanım Museum, and a statement about the exhibition by Curator M. Merve Uca, is also featured. The catalog's photography was done by Hadiye Cangökçe, and the graphic design was created by Yeşim Demir Pröhl.
Other authors and topics included in the catalog are as follows:
“Travel Within Travel”: The Power of Architecture to Create Emotion and the Emotional Journeys of Traveler-Artists - Turgut Saner
“I Told Them a Few Reasons”: Deciphering the Travel Reasons of Early Modern Travelers in the Ottoman World – William Kynan-Wilson
From Istanbul to Hejaz: The Sacred Journey from the Pens of Pilgrims - Şebnem Eryavuz
Reflections of Diplomatic Relations in Art - Günsel Renda
Turkish Fashion - Lâle Görünür
Alter Sive Amicus (The Other or Friend): Venice and the Ottomans Between Harmony and Otherness – Vera Constantini
Curiosity, Commerce, Gift: The Journey of Splendor from Palace to Palace - Hülya Bilgi
From One Thousand and One Nights to the Holy Land: The Interaction of Painting and Photography in Orientalism - Bahattin Öztuncay
NOTE: Photographs by Barış Aras And belongs to Elif Çakırlar.
Source: https://www.odatv.com/kultur-sanat/koc-toplulugundan-100-yilda-sergi-seyahat-sanati-120146192