Artist Talk
Taner Ceylan & Tarkan Okçuoğlu

Pera Museum presents a talk by artist Taner Ceylan and art historian Tarkan Okçuoğlu as part of the exhibition Souvenirs of the Future!

Based on Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection, Souvenirs of the Future brings together contemporary works, many of which are inspired by the collection. The talk organized as part of the exhibition, will closely examine Taner Ceylan's works titled Wall (2018) and Archeology (2023) from an art historical perspective. 

The painting titled Wall depicts in detail a dilapidated wall in the courtyard of Rüstem Pasha Mosque, a building dating back to the 16^th century designed by Mimar Sinan. Covered with tiles that have been broken down over the years and irregularly reassembled, the wall represents a structure in which Ceylan sees harmony in disharmony. Archaeology addresses a fictional chain of relationships set in the Tanzimat Era. The painting reflects the different layers of the modernisation process of the Ottoman Empire, which is characterized by the tension of dichotomies such as traditional and modern, West and East, slave and master. Based on these two works, the speakers will focus on their relationship with Ottoman painting, the historicity of the motifs, and the connections between the contemporary and the traditional.

The event taking place at Pera Museum Auditorium is free of charge and does not require reservation. The event will be held in Turkish.

About Taner Ceylan
was born in Germany in 1967. He graduated from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul in 1991. That same year, Ceylan presented his first group show and first solo exhibition in Nuremberg, Germany. His seminal exhibition and performance Monte Carlo Style, debuted in 1995, made a significant impact on the Turkish art scene. Ceylan worked as a lecturer at the Fine Arts Faculty of Yeditepe University (2001- 2003) and was editor in chief of Time Out Istanbul’s art section (2001-2006). The international exhibitions and biennials he participated include: include; Istanbul Biennial (8^th, 9^th, 14^th), Contemporary Art Center (New Orleans), Paul Kasmin Gallery (New York), Istanbul Next Wave, Martin-Gropius- Bau (Berlin), Museum Bojman Van Beuningen (Rotterdam), Brattleboro Museum and Art Center (Vermont), Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea (Torino), Church of San Domenico (Alba, Torino) and The Piedmont Pavillion at the 58^th Venice Biennial, curated by Marianna Vecellio-Concept by Carolyn Christov Bakargiev in Combo Venice, and Kistefos Museum (Norway).

About Tarkan Okçuoğlu
born in Istanbul in 1968. He graduated from Galatasaray High School in 1987 and completed a degree in Archeology and Art History from the Literature Faculty at Istanbul University in 1992. In 1995, Okçuoğlu completed his Post-Graduate at the same institution before receiving his doctorate in 2000 with a thesis titled “Understandings of Representation in 18th and 19th Century Ottoman Wall Paintings”. In 2012, he received the title of Associate Professor in Turkish and Islamic Art, and in 2019, he became Professor. In addition to his role at the Faculty of Literature Faculty at Istanbul University, he has given art history lectures at Galatasaray High School, Galatasaray University and Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts. His work primarily focused on culture and architecture during the late Ottoman period. In 2020, he published Between Dream and Reality-The Image of Istanbul in Ottoman Painting. He continues to serve as Head of the Department of Turkish and Islamic Art within the Faculty of Art History at Istanbul University. He is also on the Board at the American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT).

Temporary Exhibition