Translucent Memories

Saydam Hafızalar (Translucent Memories) is a two-person exhibition at Ekavart Gallery in Gümüşsuyu, Istanbul, running from 3 to 28 November 2026. It pairs reverse glass paintings by Uğural Gafuroğlu with figurative sculptures by Çağdaş Erçelik. Gafuroğlu paints on the back of glass panes in ornate frames, while Erçelik models human figures in composite material, each made in an edition of three.

Gafuroğlu was born in Salihli in 1952 and has painted since 1986, moving between canvas, slate, pebbles and glass. The gallery notes that reverse glass painting, a traditional folk technique, has been his main medium for a quarter of a century. Titles in the show include Boğaz'da Son Akşam Yemeği, a Last Supper set beside the Bosphorus, as well as Korkak Kedi and Özel Güvenlik Eşliğinde. The exhibition text reads his scenes as a mix of irony, humour and naive imagery, built from remembered feeling more than observed fact.

Erçelik works with the human figure as the vehicle for a single emotion, shaping pose and gesture so that each scene carries its charge. Three composite pieces are listed for the show, Damla, Ayna and Naiad, the tallest standing 80 cm high.

The pairing sets the layered surfaces of Gafuroğlu's glass against the direct physical presence of Erçelik's figures. Ekavart Gallery is a non-profit space of the EKAV Foundation, which passes event proceeds to its scholarship students in the arts. Visitors enter through The Ritz-Carlton at Süzer Plaza, and admission is free.