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Pinar Kanber invites art enthusiasts to explore the layered memory of Istanbul through her latest solo exhibition.
Her collection "The Istanbul of Seagulls" (Martilarin Istanbul'u) opens at the Fulart Art House in Kadikoy on April 28 and runs through May 9, 2026.
Kanber focuses on movement and time, using seagulls as the primary lens to observe the ancient city.
Turkish painter Kanber treats seagulls as more than simple birds.
She positions them as eternal observers of a changing urban landscape. Her paintings capture the echoes of the Byzantine era and the architectural grandeur of the Ottoman Empire.
These birds bridge the gap between historical departures at the ports and the chaotic energy of modern daily life. The artist uses vibrant color bursts and fluid brushstrokes to suggest that Istanbul does not belong to a single moment in time.
The city appears on her canvases as a moving memory that people constantly delete and remember again.
This move to urban themes marks a new chapter in the career of the artist.
Kanber previously explored the movement culture of Anatolia by painting horses and "Caravanserais" (Kervansaraylar). She now turns her artistic gaze toward the sky.
"The sound of caravanserais fell silent; the screams of seagulls took their place," Kanber said. She wants to make these screams audible through colors and build a new bond between the past and the present.
Exhibition details for visitors:
Kanber brings a diverse professional background to this collection.
She graduated from Kocaeli University in 2004 and completed her master's degree there in 2008. Her career includes managing European Union projects and establishing a theater club for the hearing impaired.
She previously served as an art director for the Vehbi Koc Foundation. Currently, she maintains her studio in Canakkale to produce works for national and international projects in Türkiye.
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