Artist Şerife Bilgili Ercantürk talked about her works at "Artweeks Istanbul"

Artist Şerife Bilgili Ercantürk, whose work was exhibited at Artweeks Istanbul, told an AA reporter that Artweeks Istanbul is growing, saying, "Very valuable artists and galleries are participating in Artweeks Istanbul every year, and it is becoming more international."

Ercantürk said that eight of his works can be seen in Akaretler and two of them in The Ritz-Carlton Residences, and that this makes him very proud.

Ercantürk, sharing information about two of his works at The Ritz-Carlton Residences Istanbul, said, "This is the first time I've used wall paint in art in Türkiye. Jotun is a company we've used in our construction projects for years and has always sponsored these projects. For two years, I've been asking them, 'Why can't we artists use the paints you produce?' They said, 'No way, Şerife Hanım,' but I always said, 'Give it to me, I want to try it.' I tried, and as you can see, these two works turned out really well."

The artist, who stated that this method could open up a brand new avenue for artists, said, "We pay 400-450 lira for a tiny 100-150 gram piece of paint. They're all imported. If we can source these from Türkiye, we can contribute to the art of many artists. This opens up a brand new avenue for us. Because the prices of those imported are very high."

Ercantürk explained that the brushes he used were dedicated to Jotun, saying, "I also love recycling. I have a lot of installations. I've done a lot of work with waste materials. I used a lot of construction materials, especially in the early days. Now, here, I used these brushes in honor of Jotun."

Pointing to the materials he uses in his works, Ercantürk stated that he has been in construction management for 47 years and noted the following:

"When I built Galataport, I used the foundation iron we excavated there. So, the iron you see is about two hundred years old. I transformed it into a work of art. I knew I would do this the moment I first saw these irons. I knew I would make them look like this when I left. All the iron and stones you see in the work are original; they belong to Galataport."

The 12th edition of Artweeks Istanbul also features the "Six Photographs" exhibition by Eczacıbaşı Holding Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı, the "FloreLuctus" project by artist Cem Güventürk, and the "Tamera" retrospective exhibition by Tamer Yılmaz, curated by İzzeddin Çalışlar.

Ambidexter, Artopol Art Gallery, ArtHan Gallery, Asım İşler, Baksı Museum, Bilgili Sanat, Bosfor, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, BB Projectt, E'Art Gallery, Evin Art Gallery, Frank Art Studio, Galeri Siyah Beyaz, Galerist, Gallery G-Art, Hasan Sarıtaş Art Gallery, Horozart, İBB Kültür A.Ş., İmoga Art Space, Istanbul Concept Gallery, Kun Art Space, Martch Art Project, MERKUR, Mine Art Gallery, Nihat Odabaşı, Öktem Aykut, Pi Artworks, Red Art İstanbul, Sanatorium, Şerife Bilgili Ercantürk, Taksim Sanat, UZ Gallery, Versus Art Project, and X-IST are among the galleries, artists, and institutions participating in Artweeks Istanbul this year.

The event, which also features the "Curation Space", a special event designed specifically for this year that allows young independent curators to present their own selections and curations, will continue until October 26.