CANAN and Filiz Adıgüzel Toprak Moderator: Gülce Özkara

Focusing on contemporary approaches to miniature painting, the exhibition Miniature 2.0: Miniature in Contemporary Artbrings together the works of 14 artists from different countries such as Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan. The artists do not treat miniature solely as a historical object, they emphasize its theoretical potential as a contemporary art form.

The first of the series of talks on miniature art, organized in collaboration with Istanbul Research Institute as part of the exhibition, features speakers CANAN, whose works 1 May, Adams and Eves, The Beauty and the Beast (The Lion and the Gazelle), Exemplary (İbretnüma) and Falname Series are exhibited, and Filiz Adıgüzel Toprak, an academic who contributed to the exhibition catalog with her article titled Miniature Painting as a Means of Expression in Contemporary Art, with moderation by Gülce Özkara, who is one of the curators of the exhibition. The talk will focus on how the relationship between miniature painting and contemporary art in Turkey developed with particular emphasis on CANAN’s works in the exhibition and on the current forms into which miniature painting has evolved with an interdisciplinary approach that transcends periods. Speakers will look at miniature painting as a means of expression that cannot be confined to the dictionary definitions of neither ‘traditional’ nor ‘contemporary’, questioning the exchanges between miniature painting and contemporary art. In CANAN's work and Filiz Adıgüzel Toprak's research, miniature sheds light on many cultural, social and economic problems of today. The attendees will have the chance to learn about how miniature is defined and categorized both in Turkey and around the world, and the two distinct approaches to and practices of this art form based on its historical value. During the broadcast on Youtube Premiere, the speakers will answer the questions of the audience with the live chat feature. 

The event will be streamed on YouTube. The language of the event is Turkish. 

Click to watch on YouTube!

About CANAN

Born in Istanbul in 1970, CANAN completed her studies at the Painting Department of Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts in 1998. In2010, she opened her first solo exhibition titled “Even a Cat Has a Mustache” atX-ist. The artist won various awards in Istanbul and Germany and participated in residency programs. Her exhibitions “Hicap” (Performans, Platform Art Center, Istanbul, 2007 and the Pompidou Center, Paris, 2010), “Bahname (Lustbook)” (Masa Project, Istanbul, 2007), “Behind the Curtains” (Festival De Rode, Amsterdam, 2006), “Finally You Are in Me” (Istanbul, 2000 and “New Works, New Horizons”, Istanbul Modern Museum, Istanbul, 2009) attracted considerable attention in Istanbul, Germany and the Netherlands. Her works were exhibited in Contemporary Istanbul 08, 09, and 10, IFCA 13th International Festival of Computer Arts (Maribor), 9th International Istanbul Biennial Hospitality Zone, Scope Basel 2009, 11th International Istanbul Biennial, ART HK’10 (Hong Kong International Art Fair) and Art Dubai 2011. She took part in Sotheby’s in 2009 and 2010 and Turkish Contemporary Art Auctions.

About Filiz Adıgüzel Toprak

Filiz Adıgüzel Toprak received her BA in Manuscript Illumination from Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Traditional Turkish Arts in 1997 and her MA with honors from the same faculty by conducting a research on illuminated Islamic manuscripts at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2000. While conducting her research in London, she completed the post-graduate course “Arts Management” at Middlesex University. In 2004, she received her “Diploma in Asian Arts” from the Department of Asia at the British Museum (Royal Holloway, University of London). In 2007, she received her Proficiency in Arts on Ottoman Miniature Paintings from Dokuz Eylül University, Institute of Fine Arts. She participated in the “Persian and Indian Miniature Painting Workshop” at the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts held in February 2010 and studied traditional Indian painting techniques in London. She currently serves as Associate Professor at Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Traditional Arts.

About Gülce Özkara

Gülce Özkara was born in 1992 in Istanbul. After graduating from Université Paris Nanterre, Department of Sociology, she started her MA in Cultural Studies at Bilgi University. She is currently working on her thesis on gender in contemporary miniature art under the supervision of Begüm Özden Fırat. Her areas of interest include visual culture, art and practices of resistance. Özkara has edited numerous artists' books and penned articles for publications such as Orta Format, and currently works as artist representative at the art gallery Pilot.

Temporary Exhibition