The “Sufi Life in Istanbul” exhibition, which includes artworks from Sufi culture, is set to welcome art lovers at Nevmekan Bağlarbaşı Gallery in Istanbul’s Usküdar until Nov. 19.
The exhibition is curated by Erkan Doğanay and was organized in cooperation with Istanbul Beyoğlu Refia Ovüç Maturation Institute and Usküdar Municipality, with the support of Istanbul Culture and Tourism Directorate and Provincial Directorate of National Education.
Usküdar Deputy Mayor Zekeriya Şanlıer, in his opening speech, stated: “In each of our Nevmekans in Usküdar, we can see different types of art. Our artists and young people create artworks, and we support them. We make sure they have the right places to work and grow.”
Şanlıer stated that they opened two new Nevmekans in Kuzguncuk and Kandilli in September and said: “These places are important because of the people and what they represent. This exhibition is also an important and admirable effort that reflects our identity. It is a privilege for us to be part of such a wonderful project.”
Artist Merve Tosun, who participated in the exhibition with her work “Istanbul’un Tekkeleri Minyatür,” which translates to “Lodges of Istanbul Miniature,” said: “We were asked to create a miniature within the scope of the project. We took it in the bird’s eye views on the map and placed the lodges, sects and dervish lodges in their locations, resulting in the creation of this unique miniature.”
“Some Mevlevi lodges have their own identities and messages. For example, the three dolphins we drew in the Bosporus symbolize the philosophy of ‘I was raw, I became cooked, I was burnt,’” Tosun also said.
The exhibition includes oil paintings, miniatures, calligraphy and fabric works that shed artistic, political, architectural and aesthetic light on the Sufi culture in Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire. It features works by artists such as Tülay Aydoğan, Arzu Özyalçın, Rabia Eleman and Ulker Erke and will continue for 19 days in a row.
