'Painting of Istanbul' and 'Written and Drawn by Latif Demirci' exhibitions at Antalya Culture and Arts

The first temporary exhibition of the Türkiye İş Bankası Painting and Sculpture Museum, "The Picture of Istanbul," which opened its doors to art lovers as a gift to the Republic on the 100th anniversary of the Republic, and the "Writer-Drawer Latif Demirci Exhibition," which featured works by one of Türkiye's leading caricaturists, Latif Demirci, previously exhibited at the Kibele Art Gallery, were opened to visitors in Antalya.

These two exhibitions by İş Sanat can be visited at Antalya Culture and Arts (AKS), affiliated with the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ATSO) Education, Research and Culture Foundation, until October 19.

THE PARTNERSHIP OF POETRY AND PAINTING

Compiled from the Türkiye İş Bankası Artworks Collection and curated by art historian and author Prof. Dr. Gül İrepoğlu, the "Picture of Istanbul" exhibition presents Antalya residents with approximately 300 Istanbul landscapes, mostly dating from the mid-20th century, starting from the Historic Peninsula and extending to the shores of the Bosphorus, Üsküdar, the Maiden's Tower, Haydarpaşa, and the Princes' Islands. The exhibition captures Istanbul's flowers, boats, streets, seasons—in short, the spirit of Istanbul—through paintings and quotes from master poets. It begins with Yahya Kemal's lines, "Yesterday, I looked at you from a hill, dear Istanbul," and continues with Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu's lines, "When I think of Istanbul, I think of a seagull."

The exhibition includes works by names such as Şeref Aktik, İlhami Demirci, Mustafa Nuri Paşa, Naile Akıncı, İbrahim Safi, Zeki Faik İzer, Cevat Dereli, Hikmet Onat, Feyhaman Duran, and İbranim Çallı.

The exhibition's curator, Gül İrepoğlu, describes the exhibition with the same enthusiasm, a blend of literature and painting: "The Painting of Istanbul exhibition holds special significance for us. It reflects Istanbul in such a way that it is, in essence, the reflection of our love for Istanbul on canvas. Istanbul is such a city that it has given something to every artist for millennia. Writing about Istanbul, putting Istanbul in notes, projecting Istanbul onto canvas... Each of these has been done throughout history. We have prepared this exhibition to reflect both Istanbul and the richness of the Türkiye İş Bankası Artworks Collection."

DEMİRCİ'S LINES

The retrospective exhibition, which brings together art lovers with the works of Latif Demirci, one of Türkiye's leading cartoonists, in a chronological and thematic order, along with the adventures of the cartoon characters he created, the books he published, and his various works. It covers the artist's time period from his Gırgır period, which began in 1974, to his last cartoon, published in 2022. Curated by Latif Demirci's daughter Yasemin Demirci and his close friend, journalist İhsan Yılmaz, the exhibition features cartoons featuring unforgettable heroes such as "Monster Sheep Orhan," "Muhlis Bey," "Arap Kadri," "Yavlum Mithat and Mirsat," and "Press Bey," as well as cartoons he drew for weeklies such as Nokta and Yeni Gündem, and examples of his daily front-page cartoons, which ran in Hürriyet for many years.

Suat Sözen, Deputy General Manager of Türkiye İş Bankası, commented on the exhibitions: "I'm confident that these exhibitions, which have been visited by nearly 200,000 people to date, will attract a large number of both domestic and international visitors in Antalya and will be very popular. We invite all Antalya residents to AKS and visit our exhibitions. I believe that seeing the beauty of Istanbul, from the Historical Peninsula to the Princes' Islands, in unique detail through the eyes of different artists in Antalya will be an engaging experience. I also believe that Latif Demirci's memorable characters and entertaining drawings will bring smiles to visitors' faces."