Kalyon Culture's new exhibition, 'The Shore of the Sun,' has opened to art lovers...
Kalyon Culture's new exhibition, 'The Shore of the Sun,' opened on July 9th with a ceremony attended by art enthusiasts. Bringing together works by five artists inspired by the continuity of life in the remote regions of Anatolia, 'The Shore of the Sun' will be open to visitors until September 30th.
Curated by Kalyon Culture's Art Director Aslı Bora, the exhibition features a total of 21 works by Güliz Baydemir, Mustafa Albayrak, Mümin Candaş, Necati Seydi Ferahoğlu, and Nurdan Karasu Gökçe. Bringing together unique artistic approaches, the exhibition makes visible, through art, the multifaceted cultural memory of Anatolia, which has hosted different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles for centuries.
The opening ceremony of 'The Shore of the Sun,' hosted by Kalyon Foundation President Reyhan Kalyoncu, took place on Thursday, July 9th, at Kalyon Culture. Şişli District Governor Cevdet Ertürkmen, Üsküdar District Governor Adem Yazıcı, Istanbul Governor's wife Gülden Gül, Istanbul Deputy Governor Serap Özmen Çetin, former Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya's wife Hatice Nur Yerlikaya, KADEM Board President Canan Sarı, Turkish Red Crescent Istanbul Provincial President Burcu Kösem, as well as artists, art lovers and guests attended.
Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, Reyhan Kalyoncu, President of the Kalyon Foundation, said, "Today, in the light of the sun, guided by art, aesthetics, and culture, we embark on a meaningful journey towards the ancient memory of Anatolia. Five of our esteemed artists, each more valuable than the other, have brought life and memory to their canvases, from the streets of Istanbul to the shores of Çanakkale, from the slopes of Trabzon to the countryside of Anatolia, from the stones of ancient cities to the lives of modern cities. Our valuable artists have especially depicted Anatolia with their own unique artistic approaches.
Anatolia has never been composed of a single color. Every corner carries a different voice, every city a different breath, every season a different story. Anatolia is a great mosaic of brotherhood, with many colors but one spirit; many voices but one word; many paths but one essence. The NATO Summit held in our country is also a strong message that Turkey is giving to the world. Anatolia, the center of peace, dialogue, and brotherhood, is today also a reliable meeting point in the solution of global issues. It brings together differences, fosters dialogue..." And these ancient Anatolian lands, which prioritize peace, continue to unite humanity in shared values, just as they did yesterday and today.
Because the essence of Anatolia is brotherhood. Where there is brotherhood, there is hope, peace, and a future. At Kalyon Culture, we don't see art merely as an aesthetic production field; we see it as a powerful legacy that enriches people, keeps memory alive, and carries our culture into the future. Because we believe that the stronger a nation's culture is preserved, the more solidly its future will be built. With this understanding, since 2020, under the umbrella of Kalyon Culture, we have held 17 exhibitions, hosted approximately 100,000 visitors, and met with over 8,000 guests in nearly 400 workshops. With the understanding of 'Loyalty to the Past, Value to the Future,' we will continue to support our artists and bring them together with art lovers, introduce our children to culture and art at an early age, and carry the ancient heritage of our civilization to the future with determination."
(The sentence is incomplete and ends abruptly.) Gülden Gül, the wife of the Governor of Istanbul, said: “I would like to thank Kalyon Culture for bringing us together with art and the different perspectives of our artists in the ‘Edge of the Sun’ exhibition. I wholeheartedly congratulate our valuable artists who have brought the unique beauties of Anatolia to canvases with their strong artistic understanding and talent. I would like to thank Reyhan Kalyoncu, the President of the Kalyon Foundation, the Kalyon Culture team, and everyone involved for making us feel the unifying power of art with colors, emotions, and inspiring works; for enabling us to rediscover the climate, sun, people, and spirit of Anatolia.” Aslı Bora, the Art Director of Kalyon Culture and the curator of the exhibition, said the following about the exhibition:
“‘Edge of the Sun’ brings together the memories, lifestyles, and landscapes of different geographies around a common idea of light. Cities, coasts, mountains, and settlements touched by the same sun for centuries transform into a unique narrative in each artist's painting. Instead of uniting these differences in a single glance, the exhibition aims to make visible the invisible continuity between them.” The works brought together open up a shared space for reflection on how the relationship between light and geography carries cultural memory and how it regains meaning in different facets of life. I thank our artists," he said.
Since prehistoric times, the sun has been more than just a natural element in Anatolia; it has shaped many aspects of life, from agricultural production to architecture, from daily life to cultural memory. 'The Shore of the Sun' re-examines this geography, where light transforms into moments and memories into a shared cultural memory, through the interpretations of different artists.
The intersection of the sun with geography and its relationship with millennia of cultural accumulation constitute the intellectual axis of 'The Shore of the Sun'. The streets of Istanbul, the shores of Çanakkale, the slopes of Trabzon, the countryside of Anatolia, and the stones of ancient cities, while offering diverse landscapes, all bear different reflections of the same sun.
The people, landscapes, settlements, and scenes of daily life in the diverse geographies of Anatolia, depicted in the works of five artists, offer an opportunity to approach Anatolia not from a single perspective, but from a pluralistic one, to feel the continuity of the light that has traveled between these places for centuries. Instead of making a comparison between the past and the present, the exhibition focuses on shared emotions and experiences that continue to exist in this geography, rethinking and making visible this connection that silently flows between different cities and lifestyles within the realm of painting. "The Shore of the Sun" aims to bring together urban viewers who wish to rediscover their roots, sense of belonging, and ancient connection with nature, as well as art and sociology lovers, on a common ground.
(Source: https://www.dha.com.tr/foto-galeri/kalyon-kulturun-yeni-sergisi-gunesin-kiyisi-sanatseverlerle-bulustu-2907197/10)