To showcase the breadth of Turkey's artistic talent, an exhibition featuring some of its most acclaimed names will be held in London’s Saatchi Gallery between Oct. 27 and Oct. 31.
"TA London – Turkish Art Week" will feature 88 works by 21 artists of Turkish origin living in Turkey, Azerbaijan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the London diaspora.
TA London is the brainchild of London-based artist Renk Erbil and will be held in the organization of her Renko London, the first online Turkish art gallery in the United Kingdom.
Sponsored by Turkish Airlines and Doqu Home, the event is designed to give Turkish contemporary art a greater presence in the international art scene and inspire a cross-cultural conversation.
The exhibit will include work from a variety of contemporary art movements, techniques and disciplines, from pop art to lyric abstraction.
Every year, TA London will invite an artist who has made an outstanding contribution to Turkish contemporary art to headline the event.
This year’s headlining artist is Devrim Erbil, who is famous for his abstract paintings of Istanbul and Anatolia. Known as the “Poet of Art,” Erbil captures the essence of Turkey’s vibrant culture in his works with a bird’s eye view.
Painting to share his joy of life, which his art inspires moments of happiness, the artist was recognized at the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards in 2019.
Among the other artists attending the event are Bahri Genç, Barış Sarıbaş, Başak Cansu Güneykaya, Cengiz Yatağan, Çiğdem Erbil, Ece Clarke, Esra Meral, Mehmet Günyeli, Mine Zabcı, Nuri Battal, Renk Erbil, Rina Bakış, Sina Mirel, Sümer Erek, Yam Karkai and Yiğit Yazıcı.
Azerbaijan's famed artist Sakit Mammadov, who is known as the master of colors, and legendary Turkish Cypriot artist Emin Çizenel will also be featured at TA London.
Joanna Gilbert and Eva Sonaike will participate in the exhibition as guest artists to represent the multi-colored structure of London – an intersection for different cultures.
