Turkish artist İsmail Acar’s exhibition titled “From Istanbul to the Balkans: Traces of a Memory” opened its doors to visitors in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
The exhibition, which included Acar’s works in which he reinterpreted the traces of cultural encounters that took place over centuries between Istanbul and the Balkans in today’s painting language, met with art lovers.
In his speech at the opening of the exhibition, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Sofia, Mehmet Sait Uyanık, stated that the exhibition reflects the friendship and good neighborly relations between Türkiye and Bulgaria.
Expressing that the exhibition creates a cultural bridge between Anatolia and the Balkans, Istanbul and Sofia, Uyanık said that different symbols of the city such as Mevlevi figures, caftans, tulips, helmets and Istanbul architecture are used together in Acar’s works.
Uyanık explained that Acar worked on the themes of Anatolian civilizations and Sufism in his artistic life of more than 30 years and participated in more than 200 personal and group exhibitions in more than 60 countries.
Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivanka Tasheva also said that the exhibition offers the opportunity to look at the past not only through history but also through art.
Stating that art and cultural diplomacy are powerful tools to build trust between countries, Tasheva stated that the exhibition creates a dialogue between Turkey-Bulgaria, Istanbul-Balkans and the artist’s personal memory and the common memory of the region.
The exhibition will be open to visitors until September 19.
