As Antalya welcomes world leaders and delegates for the U.N. climate conference, COP31, a new exhibition is bringing attention to the Mediterranean through the works of two artists from its opposite shores. “Akdeniz” (“Mediterranean”) brings together Croatian painter Nikolina Šimunović and Turkish glass artist Mert Üngör in an exploration of light, water and shared cultural heritage.
Organized as part of the “Mediterranean Connections: Türkiye-Croatia” project initiated by the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in Istanbul, the exhibition takes its name from the Turkish word for the Mediterranean. Rather than presenting the sea as a boundary between two countries, it explores it as a shared space that has connected their shores and cultures for centuries.
At the exhibition's private opening on Nov. 7, Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Istanbul, Ivana Zerec, who initiated the project, highlighted the growing cultural and tourism ties between the two countries, saying collaborations such as “Akdeniz” strengthen mutual trust and create opportunities for further cooperation. She also emphasized the significance of holding the exhibition during COP31, saying it addresses “important issues such as the protection of the seas and the Mediterranean in a cultural context.”
Also speaking at the opening, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Türkiye, Hrvoje Cvitanović, emphasized that the Mediterranean has connected rather than divided the two countries for centuries, describing art as a shared language that brings their cultures closer. Šimunović, meanwhile, said she felt at home in Antalya, which reminds her of her hometown of Dubrovnik, reflecting the personal connection that underpins the exhibition's exploration of the Mediterranean.
In her “Sea Fireflies” series, Šimunović explores the fleeting nature of light, the transience of the natural world and the traces time leaves on memory. Combining painting with collage and other materials, she uses light as a means of evoking memories and humanity's connection with nature.
For Üngör, the Mediterranean's cultural heritage serves as a source of inspiration, translated into glass forms created especially for the exhibition. His tall, vertical works are not based on predetermined drawings but emerge in the moment through the interplay of heat, gravity and the movement of his hand.
Presented in partnership with Alpek Sanat and Rixos Hotels, “Akdeniz” is on view at Lonca Studio in Belek from Nov. 8 to 21, before moving to the 6. Daire Art Gallery at the Beyoğlu Municipality building in Istanbul, where it will run from Dec. 9, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027.
