The catalogue Extraordinary Minas: The Story of Inspiration and Innovation in Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics examines the efforts of Kütahya masters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to revive the disappearing craftsmanship of tile-making by focusing on a master and a group of his work, by presenting objects from the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection.
Centered around Minas Avramidis of Kütahya and his ceramic plate series depicting the Story of Genovefa, the publication explores the dynamics between master and apprentice, tradition and innovation, and craft and mass production. While questioning the conventional imagery of Kütahya ceramics, it also sheds light on the stories of masters who spread across Kütahya, Athens, Thessaloniki, and Jerusalem in the second quarter of the 20th century.
Featuring more than 180 images, the catalogue brings together four scholarly essays: “Heritage of the Distant Past: Diversity in the Eighteenth-Century Kütahya Tile and Ceramic Production” by Filiz Yenişehirlioğlu, “Inspiration and Innovation: Kütahya Tiles in National Style” by Müjde Dila Gümüş, “Stonemason Minas Avramidis and the Story of Genovefa” by Yavuz Selim Güler and “Parallel Worlds: The Legacy of Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics Between Two World Wars in Türkiye, Greece and Jerusalem” by Dinos Kogias.
The Istanbul Research Institute continues to offer free guided tours of the exhibition The Photography Studio of an Adventurous Architect: Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu 1893–1982, which sheds light on the life of one of the most unconventional architects of his time, spanning the late Ottoman and early Republican periods.
On October 11, International Day of the Girl, Suna’nın Kızları organized the “Girls Stronger Together Forum” in Hatay, where girls shared their ideas on making their city safer, more accessible, and more inclusive.
Pera Museum introduces two new publications accompanying its current exhibitions: Swedish glass artist Åsa Jungnelius’ first solo exhibition in Turkey, A Verse, Written with Earth, Fire, Water, and Air and Feelings in Common: Works from the British Council Collection.