Definitive styles of contemporary artists on display at Galeri Eksen

Alamet-i Farika, meaning trademark or distinctive sign, is a noun phrase consisting of Arabic words, which means a distinctive quality or feature. When analyzed etymologically, the Arabic world "alamet" means "sign," while "farika" means "distinctive."

Used frequently during the Ottoman period, this noun phrase could be a certain name, color, line or anything that served as the product's trademark that was placed on the product. It helped buyers understand from whose hands or which institution the products came from. Having been passed down to our time from the Ottoman period, with its distinctive features, this trademark distinguishes a product made by an institution or a person from counterfeits; and when you see the product's trademark, you can be sure of its authenticity.


Artist: Aylin Örücü

The most time-consuming thing for an artist might be creating his own style and making his work identifiable without a signature. However, sheer marks, colors and style can secretly give away his identity regardless of his name or signature. And for an artist, to get to this point is proof that he has finally created his own trademark.

Galeri Eksen is unearthing trademarks of successful figures in the contemporary art scene, totaling 30 different artists. In the group exhibition, these artists from different disciplines and styles share their trademarks with the audience.

The exhibition features the works of 30 different people with different opinions, dreams and perspectives. It means 30 different creations will emerge even though they are asked to think about one subject and reflect something concrete about it. They are all distinguished from one another with the materials and techniques they use, and each work carries the characteristics of the artist. The truth is as clear as the painter Basil Howard's remarks in Oscar Wilde's cult novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray;" "Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter."


Artist: Aylin Örücü

Beyond this sentence, each artwork created with feeling carries a part of its creator. The artist and his work become one, and the artist characterizes his work. The creation becomes the artist's trademark.

The exhibition features excellent works by different artists from various disciplines, including Haydar Akdağ, Mehmet Tuğrul Anday,Şeyma Barut, Beyza Boynudelik, Abdulkerim Bozan, Begüm Canel,Şahin Demir, Ezgi Demirel, Çağdaş Erçelik, Kader Genç, Merve Gürlek, Filiz Hatipoğlu, Filiz Kallenci, Nebahat Karyağdı, Azamat Kuliyev, Zafer Malkoç, Dilara Mataracı, Ali Omarr, Aylin Örücü, Mustafa Özbakır, Zeynep Özdemir, Sevim Özyurt, Tuncay Saydam, Hülya Sözer, Rugül Serbest, Güzin Tangör, Elif Tolun, Ertuğrul Tuna, Melike Uçku and Ülkü Yılmaz.

The Alamet-i Farika group exhibition can be visited at Galeri Eksen until Sept. 15.