Sevil Dolmacı Gallery, a distinguished İstanbul-based gallery, opened its Dubai premises on 6 November 2023. Launching solo and group shows since, the gallery showcases international as well as Turkish artists. The current exhibit ‘Sign of the Times’ is a solo show for Robert Janitz.
Sevil Dolmacı Gallery, a distinguished İstanbul-based gallery, launched its Dubai premises on 6 November 2023 with a solo show for Ekrem Yalçındağ. Since then, the gallery has showcased several solo and group shows, the latest of the latter being ‘Material Matters’, a group show including international as well as Turkish artists. The Gallery quickly made a strong impression on the Dubai art scene, thanks to the experience and prowess of the founder Sevil Dolmacı.
Sevil Dolmacı is an art historian with a master’s and doctorate degrees in art history, as well as teaching experience. She founded her consultancy which caters to Türkiye’s most important art collections, as well as to international private collectors, artists and galleries. She has worked on important projects such as the DEMSA Group Art Consultancy and Museum Project, St. Regis Hotel Project, Demirören Group Art Consultancy, Kemer Country Golf Club Sculpture Park Project and Kabakçı Collection Art Consultancy. Her gallery in İstanbul was established in 2020, and is a testament to the caliber of her practice.
According to Mrs Sevil Dolmacı, one of the biggest motivators to open a branch in Dubai is the developing art scene there. Another is the good relations between Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates.
‘Material Matters’ was a group show that opened on 1 February 2024, and ran until 20 February. It was composed of artists’ attention-grabbing and thought-provoking canvas, digital and sculpture works. “The meaning of a particular material for an artist or the reason behind an artist’s selection of a specific material in their art practice is the key point, which the viewer is encouraged to contemplate about while experiencing the exhibition,” Mrs Dolmacı shares with me.
“As a gallery, we have a vision that highlights abstract art. We focus on different materials and different production techniques that make up abstract art. Therefore, we wanted to make our gallery vision visible in Dubai. For this purpose, we wanted to bring together and promote the artists we work with within ‘Material Matters’ exhibition in Dubai,” she explains.
As a gallery, we have a vision that highlights abstract art. We focus on different materials and different production techniques that make up abstract art.
Sevil Dolmaci, founder of Sevil Dolmaci Gallery
“Inspired by the central role the material plays in the practice of contemporary artists, ‘Material Matters’ is creating a space for the viewers to experience various works with various materials and explore which material they sense a stronger connection with and why.”
The show included the following artists: Ahmet Oran, Andy Warhol, Beverly Fishman, Bosco Sodi, Cody Choi, Daniel Knorr, Dimitri Mironov, Jiri Georg Dokoupil, Nejat Satı, Ozan Oganer, Ross Bleckner, Ozan Türkkan, Rosy Keyser, Sinan Saül and Ryakartstyle.
I found the gallery to be spacious and elegant. The group show ‘Material Matters’ really struck me as an ambitious project. I especially appreciated the new media art work of Ozan Türkkan, the sculptures of Ozan Oganer and Beverly Fishman, and of course, the legendary Andy Warhol.
The current show ‘Sign of the Times’ by Robert Janitz opened on 27 February 2024. “The exhibition, composed of Janitz’s new body of work produced in his studio in Mexico, as well as select works he created during his stay in Sevil Dolmacı Residency in İstanbul, masterfully navigates the cultural merge of the east and west, creating a rich dialogue,” Mrs Dolmacı shares with me. The title is inspired by the iconic Prince song. The paintings are abstract and are of varying sizes on linen canvases. In fact, he utilizes a unique blend of flour, oil, and wax to convey the feeling of motion and the moment that tethers between movement and stability. For me, the color-fields combined with the gestural abstract geometric shapes create a world that submerges the onlooker.
The exhibition, composed of Janitz’s new body of work produced in his studio in Mexico, as well as select works he created during his stay in Sevil Dolmacı Residency in İstanbul, masterfully navigates the cultural merge of the east and west, creating a rich dialogue
Sevil Dolmaci, founder of Sevil Dolmaci Gallery
Sevil Dolmacı Gallery is indeed leaving an everlasting imprint on the Dubai art scene. The gallery is now a must-see destination on the list of every art lover and art enthusiast in Dubai.
The exhibition ‘Sign of the Times’ for Robert Janitz is on display at Sevil Dolmacı Gallery until Tuesday 26 March. If you haven’t yet, make sure to pass by and see the show!
The Gallery is located at Dubai Design District Building 11-R04.
Follow Sevil Dolmacı Gallery on Instagram here.
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