In Search of a Universal Subconscious Through the Sea Urchin: “Kayada Büyüdüm Ben” at Galerist

We are witnessing a profoundly layered and meaningful encounter on Istanbul’s art circuit. The exhibition “Kayada Büyüdüm Ben,” hosted by Galerist and continuing until 21 February 2026, centers on the artistic legacy of the late master artist Melike Abasıyanık Kurtiç—who passed away in 2021—and invites us to trace the paths of nature, material, and a “universal subconscious.”

This exhibition is not merely a retrospective; it is a pluralistic meeting ground that explores how Kurtiç’s formal language and intellectual world continue to resonate and echo in the practices of other artists.

From the Spines of the Sea Urchin to a Universal Subconscious

Melike Abasıyanık Kurtiç’s practice was always characterized by an inward concentration, patience, and layered structure. In her writings, the artist emphasized that she was searching for a shared memory belonging to all of humanity within the shell of a sea urchin, the interior space of its husk, or the hard texture of a stone.

“I am searching for a universal subconscious in the spines of the sea urchin, in the inner space of its shell, in the texture of stone.”

The exhibition calls the viewer into the “dark cave” that Melike found so mesmerizing. Here, ceramics is positioned not merely as a craft material, but as part of a broader narrative that extends from painting and photography to literature and installation.

Cyclicity and Repetition: Form as a Space for Thinking

Rather than following a hierarchical order, the works in the exhibition are presented in a structure of interconnection and mutual nourishment. The notions of repetition and cyclicity that frequently appear in Kurtiç’s work find different formal correspondences in the practices of the other artists. In this exhibition, repetition is not framed as an obsession; it becomes a space of liberation where meaning moves silently and form folds back upon itself to multiply.

Artists in dialogue with Kurtiç’s world in the exhibition:

Deniz Aktaş, Ece Bal, Gökhun Baltacı

İlhan Berk, Zeynep Kayan, Thiago Rocha Pitta

Anıl Saldıran, Johanna Seidel, Elif Uras

Burcu Yağcıoğlu and Masao Yamamoto

Particularly striking is the way lines pouring from the typewriter of poet İlhan Berk expand the boundaries of the exhibition toward literature, touching another of Kurtiç’s great passions.

If, during these misty winter days, you wish to take refuge in the hard yet protective shell of nature and become acquainted with the poetic language of material, I strongly recommend adding this special encounter in Tepebaşı to your calendar.