Ceramic Days featured at various art spots in Istanbul

The second Istanbul Ceramic Days, which has drawn significant attention and has stood out with a high level of participation, kicked off on May 16 with the event welcoming more artists this year. The festival intends to make ceramic art known to the masses as well as create unity among ceramic artists. Istanbul Ceramic Days will continue at Atatürk Library, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall foyer area and Taksim Cumhuriyet Art Gallery until June 6. During the festival, visitors will be able to produce their own ceramics at the workshop in Taksim Cumhuriyet Art Gallery as well as familiarizing themselves with artwork produced by ceramics artists.

Ceramics artist Duygu Bağlan, who is organizing the event for the second time with the help of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's Directorate of Cultural Events, is determined to continue holding more iterations of Istanbul Ceramic Days. She said that she wants the public to know more about the art of ceramics and claimed ceramics artists have difficulty finding galleries to display their art. She provided information about how the event achieved success and what will be done in the future. "I had been long thinking of gathering many ceramics artists under the same roof with a single event and displaying the art in venues open to the public. Last year we were able to put this project into practice with the contributions of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality," she said. Bağlan said that the first edition of the event drew much more people than she had anticipated. "Making a lot of people familiar with the art of ceramics made me really happy. Thanks to Istanbul Ceramic Days, artists who cannot find venues to display their work come together and a bond has been created among them," she said. She said the workshop established in Taksim Cumhuriyet Art Gallery enables children who have been studying in underprivileged districts of Istanbul to take part in the production of ceramics. She said: "When I see these children and how they enjoy making ceramics, I want to work hard to continue with this organization. We are happy to hold this event for the second time." She said that this year the organization will host more artists and artwork than in the first edition. "We believe that the event will draw a lot of people here, judging by the attendance on opening day. We have already begun discussing what we should do next year," she said. Bağlan said they aim to welcome more artists next year and turn the organization into an international event if they manage to hold the third edition of the festival.