Fatih Municipality is hosting the most comprehensive exhibition of İbrahim Safi, a master of Turkish painting, since 1984. The ‘SafiStanbul – İbrahim Safi Retrospective Exhibition’ brings together 79 works meticulously compiled from various collections, shedding light on the artist's artistic journey over the last 40 years.
The exhibition at the Nusret Çolpan Art Gallery promises a unique journey into the visual memory of Istanbul through Safi's perspective, showcasing views of the Bosphorus, Golden Horn, and Fatih, as well as still life paintings. Fatih Mayor Ergün Turan, who gave the opening speech for the exhibition, which reveals Safi's passion for Istanbul and his deep connection with color, stated that the idea for the exhibition emerged during a conversation with Ömer Seyfi Aktülün, one of Safi's collectors. Turan said, “Together, we collected the works, and a beautiful selection emerged. We have held 15-20 exhibitions here. This exhibition was the most fitting for this hall. I say this sincerely. Such an exhibition after 40 years was made possible through the efforts of many people.”
Thanking those who contributed to the exhibition, Turan continued, “It really takes a long effort to make an exhibition happen. A huge operation is carried out, from collecting the works from the collectors' homes, bringing them here, storing them, preserving them, insuring them, hanging them, painting them. We are also trying to plan in terms of space and culture. All of this is not something that happened solely through my efforts; there are many friends here who have added value to it. We are seeing the new buds of the quality cluster that existed in Fatih in the past. Hopefully, these buds will one day turn into flowers, and hopefully, we will all be fortunate enough to see these places again as a garden of art, culture, books, and science, just like in the old days.”
Istanbul Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism, Hüseyin Keskin, stated, “Recently, many wonderful things have been done in Fatih. In this sense, this exhibition and dozens of other projects, which I don't want to take up your time listing, excite us as cultural administrators, and we follow them with appreciation and interest. We have valuable professors who support our mayor's sincerity and efforts. Together, they are supporting the growth of this endeavor.”
The President of the Turkish Manuscripts Institution (TÜYEK), Coşkun Yılmaz, also said, “I am not an art expert, but I love looking at paintings. What makes a person human, a society a society, what strengthens a civilization, a nation, a state, is loyalty, virtue, and the importance given to humanity. It is remembering those who are talented, knowledgeable, and dedicated to service. Those who remember live on, and those who remind are kept alive. Therefore, I value this exhibition above all for this reason.”
The SafiStanbul – İbrahim Safi Retrospective exhibition at the Nusret Çolpan Art Gallery can be visited until March 13, 2026.
Source: https://haberton.com/ibrahim-safinin-sanat-mirasi-40-yil-sonra-sanatseverlerle-bulustu/