‘Labour of Love’ Examines the Artist Self-Portrait
At Galerist, Istanbul, a 25th-anniversary exhibition examines how artists negotiate visibility, vulnerability and the desire to control their own image
“Murat Pilevneli founded Galerist in 2001; its early roster included artists such as Haluk Akakçe, Ayşe Erkmen and Leylâ Gediz, who soon became stars during Istanbul’s art boom of the 2000s and 2010s. Pilevneli sold his business in 2011, but Galerist lives on. The group exhibition ‘Labour of Love’ celebrates the gallery’s 25-year legacy through 49 works of self-portraiture, spanning painting, sculpture, photography and video, that ask: what does it mean to make an image of an artist? Why are we so drawn to artists’ faces? And what do we expect them to reveal?”
Night of the Dog Star (2026), Oil, collected earth, natural pigment, interference, temple oil on linen, 122 × 102 cm