A Conceptual Refuge Beyond a Single Colour: ‘Summer Love IX — Blue Dreams’ at EkavArt

Blue is that infinite distance we feel when looking at the sky, the sense of location we lose in the depths of the sea, or sometimes the quietest word we choose to name grief. Curated by Dr. Feride Çelik, “Summer Love IX — Blue Dreams” treats blue this summer not merely as a pigment out of a tube, but as a catalyst forming the conceptual backbone of the exhibition and transforming spatial and mental perception. Ekavart Gallery’s summer exhibition tradition, maintained for nine years, invites the audience beyond a physical viewing experience into an interdisciplinary polyphonic dialogue until August 9, 2026.

The Trace of Blue in Art History and Color as a Catalyst

Blue transitioning from being a color to becoming a conceptual field is not a new quest in art history. International Klein Blue (IKB), registered by Yves Klein in the 1960s in pursuit of absolute infinity; Derek Jarman’s 1993 film Blue, consisting solely of sound and a static blue screen without imagery; or Mark Rothko’s massive layers of blue canvases drawing the viewer in… “Summer Love IX” feeds off precisely this deep-rooted tradition.

Each artwork in the exhibition constructs blue not merely as a visual preference, but as the load-bearing structure of the show. Triggering the intellectual interaction between the viewer and space, this color transforms into a binding force bringing works from different disciplines together on common ground.

12 Artists, 12 Different Readings of Blue

Ekavart Gallery’s now-traditional “Summer Love” series seeks an answer every summer to the question: “How does contemporary art welcome the summer season?” Answering this question through the possibilities of blue in its ninth edition, Dr. Feride Çelik brings together 12 valuable artists with distinct practices: Aşkım Akyıldız, Aynur Önürmen, Ayşegül Dinçkök, Emrah Yücel, Ergin Varlıbaş, Hale Feriha Hendekcigil, İnci Ertuğ, Karis Deniz Kara, Neslihan Demircioğlu, Nezih Çavuşoğlu, Özge Tan, and Şevval Konyalı.

This diversity ensures that the exhibition becomes a multi-layered and polyphonic reading of the color, rather than a single dominant definition of blue.

Frequently Asked Questions About “Summer Love IX — Blue Dreams”

Where and on what dates can the exhibition be visited?

• The exhibition is open to visitors between June 9 – August 9, 2026, at EkavArt Gallery in Istanbul. You can check ekavartgallery.com for detailed information and visiting hours.

Who are the artists featured in the exhibition?

• Aşkım Akyıldız, Aynur Önürmen, Ayşegül Dinçkök, Emrah Yücel, Ergin Varlıbaş, Hale Feriha Hendekcigil, İnci Ertuğ, Karis Deniz Kara, Neslihan Demircioğlu, Nezih Çavuşoğlu, Özge Tan, and Şevval Konyalı.

What is the conceptual significance of the “Summer Love” series?

• It is EkavArt’s traditional group exhibition hosting different themes and disciplines of contemporary art every summer. The 2026 edition marks the ninth gathering of this series.

NO-26 Editor’s Art Route Note

Bringing together 12 different artists around a single color is a bold yet equally risky editorial choice; after all, a symbol as loaded as blue can easily turn into an aesthetic cliché. Dr. Feride Çelik’s selection knowingly takes this risk, allowing each work to construct blue as a “structure.”

There are a mere 17 days left until the closing date on August 9. Be sure to stop by EkavArt on a hot Istanbul afternoon to cool your mind and get lost in the conceptual depth of blue!