ArtDog İstanbul editors have listed the standout exhibitions of the week for you. Among them are “Solo Botter: Burhan Uygur” at Maçka Art Gallery, Murat Germen’s “Serap | Mirage” at Maçka Art Gallery, and “Story Takes Place in Istanbul”, an exhibition at Meşher featuring around 300 books from the Ömer Koç Collection. Many galleries and art institutions, both in Istanbul and outside the city, have welcomed the 2025 art season with new exhibitions. We’ve compiled a list of the standout exhibitions from January and February.
“Solo Botter: Burhan Uygur” Exhibition
The fourth exhibition in the Botter Exhibitions series, *Solo Botter: Burhan Uygur*, has opened its doors. Curated by Levent Çalıkoğlu, with assistant curatorship by İrem Büşra Coşkun, the exhibition explores the multifaceted approach of the extraordinary artist we lost in 1992, along with his visual poetic narrative. *Solo Botter: Burhan Uygur* provides a comprehensive look at Burhan Uygur’s practice, which bridges memories and emotions through his paintings and transforms every moment of life into art.
Burhan Uygur, who draws inspiration from everything around him and is able to paint the image of every moment and every person he encounters, expresses the essence of those moments in his paintings through layers of paint and the dance of lines between melancholy and joy. Influenced by poetry and literature, with which he had a close relationship, the artist also reflects the unseen side of the stories he wants to tell through notes, verses, and poems integrated into his paintings. His artistic practice is experimental, focusing on capturing the essence of every moment by blending various materials and techniques. Rejecting the use of paint straight from the tube, the artist works with his fingers, palms, and random objects, transforming color and texture together, turning his paintings into narratives that open doors to the world of meanings.
The exhibition, which is located at Casa Botter—recently reopened after restoration and repurposing by İBB Miras—will be on display until May 20.
Murat Germen’s Works at Maçka Art Gallery
Murat Germen’s *Serap | Mirage*, his solo exhibition at Maçka Art Gallery, is on display until March 8. Using photography as a medium of expression, the exhibition navigates the interaction between clarity and uncertainty, focusing on the temporary tension between what is recognizable and what is not.
The core of the exhibition is a structure representing both the simple order of modernity and fragmentation—woven patterns. “The mosaic process I use directly draws inspiration from the tile patterns that adorn the walls of Maçka Art Gallery, which serve as both guiding and restricting grids,” said Murat Germen. By embracing a pixelated and mosaic aesthetic, he aims to question how we construct and deconstruct meaning. Drawing inspiration from both optical and conceptual resolution, the exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the space between what is seen and what is imagined. The exhibition is also accompanied by a sonic installation composed of cyclical, repetitive sound layers, recorded from “Aks-i Serap” meditation instruments designed by Selin Arslan, representing the order and chaos of the city.
The Story Unfolds in Istanbul
Meşher’s new exhibition ‘The Story Unfolds in Istanbul’ focuses on Istanbul representations across different times and literary genres, from the 16th century to the present. The exhibition examines Istanbul imaginings in Western literary works, from fantasy tales to graphic novels, science fiction, and spy stories.
NUX 9
Aras Seddigh’s solo exhibition *NUX 9*, hosted at Galeri Nev İstanbul, will be on display until February 15. The exhibition, born from the intersection of the concepts of “landscape” and “ambiance,” creates a new narrative by dissolving the boundaries and definitions through these encounters, offering a new exploration route through the gallery. The exhibition is accompanied by Seddigh’s book *Koloni Vatos*, which he has worked on for the last two years, blending his paintings and experimental texts.
We Are Still Here
The exhibition ‘We Are Still Here’ opened at Depo to mark the second year of the Maraş earthquakes, bringing together works from young artists affected by the disaster. The exhibition, which was first shown in Arsuz, Hatay as part of the ‘Sanat Elçileri’ project, aims to present the hope stories rebuilt through art by high school and university students and young graduates from Hatay. Focusing on themes of solidarity and transformation, the exhibition acts as a call for the possibility of healing together.
Uğurcan Ataoğlu’s Untitled at Metrohan
Graphic designer Uğurcan Ataoğlu, who uses the BOB signature in his personal works, presents his exhibition ‘İsimsiz/Untitled’ at Metrohan. The exhibition, organized with the support of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Culture Department and İBB Miras, features not only the artist’s lines but also three-dimensional sculptures and digital animations of his drawings. The exhibition will be on display until March 30.
The Dilemma of Light
EArt Galeri hosts the group exhibition ‘The Dilemma of Light’, focusing on the concepts of light and darkness, until March 9. Curated by Dilara Güven, the exhibition explores both the physical and philosophical meanings of black and white, inviting viewers to reconsider the complementary existence of light, darkness, and shadow.
In the exhibition, artists examine the effects of these two fundamental elements on individuals and nature, within the framework of themes such as existence, non-existence, memory, and loss. The deep stories hidden in shadows, metaphors, and the power of light that increases visibility form the conceptual foundation of the exhibition. Artists featured in the exhibition include A. Elif Aydoğmuş, Ayşegül Düşek, Ferhat Tunç, Hamza Kırbaş, Sümer Sayın, Uğur Bişirici, Yağmur Korkut, and Yılmaz Bulut.
Group Selection in Mardin: Reflection
Arura Mardin presents the group exhibition ‘Yansı’ (Reflection), which features works by Fırat Engin, Mustafa Duymaz, Şeniz Polat, Bawer Doğanay, Siya Fatih Gürbüz, Canan Budak, Deniz Aktaş, and Mehmet Ali Boran. The exhibition aims to make the unseen visible, focusing on traces that emerge from deep cracks, erased yet persistently reappearing. It showcases human screams echoing behind the concrete walls of cities, the silent cries of destroyed nature, and the struggle for existence of women and children increasingly rendered invisible. The exhibition will be on display until March 25.
Gülden Bostancı’s New Exhibition: Ara
Gülden Bostancı Gallery in Antalya presents ‘Ara’, a group exhibition curated by Baran Kurtoğlu, which will be on display until March 8. Featuring works by Cem Adrian, P. Hazal Aktaş, Pelda Aytaş, Baki Bodur, Serdar Eğer, Hale Feriha Hendekcigil, Alp İşmen, Burhan Kum, and Baran Kurtoğlu, the exhibition includes research materials and conceptual notes from the artists’ creative processes, displayed alongside their works.
The exhibition ‘Ara’ aims to confront viewers with the epistemological dynamics of art while also offering a space for exploration. It utilizes the metaphorical language of shadows to create a spatial network between the materials and works, linking them through the shadow imprints that appear on the walls, forming an abstract map that makes production processes visible. Thus, the exhibition reinterprets productions within a physical and conceptual context, critically questioning the layered structure of the process.
