In the magnificent nature of the Kaz Mountains, the Walls Embraced exhibition offers an experience that challenges conventional boundaries of art, taking place throughout the summer at Simurg Inn in partnership with x-ist.
In the enchanting nature of the Kaz Mountains, art transcends the limits of the city. The Walls Embraced exhibition, realized in collaboration with Simurg Inn and x-ist, brings together the works of 11 contemporary artists, following in Aristotle’s footsteps, placing them in a space intertwined with nature within Simurg Inn’s living areas for viewers to experience.
Throughout the summer, the stone-walled rooms, wooden terraces, and communal spaces of Simurg Inn are reshaped by art. The exhibition brings everyday life together with art in an atmosphere far from the city, surrounded by nature and history. The selection, featuring works by x-ist artists Ali Bilge Akkaya, Ansen, Aylin Zaptçıoğlu, Burçin Başar, Merve Atılgan, Metin Alper Kurt, Murat Palta, Seda Hepsev, Serkan Yüksel, Tayfun Gülnar, and Tuba Şamlı, presents an impressive curatorial approach demonstrating that art is not limited to gallery walls.
By engaging in dialogue with the spaces in which the works are presented, the exhibition invites viewers to reconsider spatial perception in art, the relationship between city and nature, and aesthetic sensitivity.
Assos, where Aristotle—the philosopher who is one of the most important in the history of philosophy—spent part of his life and taught philosophy, becomes not only a carrier of history but also of an artistic legacy through the Walls Embracedexhibition. According to Aristotle, art is an imitation of nature; it is the reshaping of the order, movement, and life in nature through the human mind. The exhibition reflects this understanding in the space, highlighting the interaction of concepts based on the harmony between nature and art.
Walls Embraced, which makes visible the dialogue between art and nature, transforms Simurg Inn’s sustainable architecture from being merely a backdrop into a context where the conceptual layers of art can be reinterpreted. Ranging from political references to mythological narratives, the selection presents a story in which the works interact with the natural environment, transforming their meanings.
For those who wish not only to observe but to experience art together with the space and nature, the exhibition can be visited at Simurg Inn in Çanakkale / Ayvacık until September 1, 2025.
