Ertuğrul Güngör & Faruk Ertekin: Untraditional

Embark on a journey through the innovative realms of Untraditional, featuring the artistic endeavors of Ertuğrul Güngör and Faruk Ertekin, the newest additions to Anna Laudel’s esteemed portfolio. The exhibition, which offers an in-depth intellectual experience beyond stereotypes by feeding on the culture and past we live in, welcomes visitors at Anna Laudel Istanbul from March 1 until April 28, 2024.

The artist duo Ertuğrul Güngör and Faruk Ertekin, who spent their childhood together in Kütahya, are inspired by the cultural memory of the city they lived in and reinterpret ceramic art with modern design elements. Despite the delicate and fragile nature of ceramics, the artists seek to maintain a delicate balance by integrating robust textures influenced by literary and visual culture, highlighting the dynamic evolution of cultural heritage.

Inspired by a wide range of imagery from the early Republican period like oil paintings, Iznik tiles, traditional women’s motifs and ceramic art, Untraditional creates new semantic layers through its connection with modern and contemporary figures. Each work in the exhibition questions the two artists’ traditional understanding of art and offers the viewer an unorthodox intellectual experience.

Visitors can enjoy exploring diverse artworks to discover artistic influences from various cultures, showcasing the versatility and intellectual depth of art. Untraditional pays tribute to critically-minded artists and allows viewers the opportunity to be part of a new form of expression that is familiar yet unique.

By adding young talents to its portfolio, Anna Laudel aims to bring an exciting discovery not only to the contemporary art world but also to art lovers. Without being an exception, Ertuğrul Güngör and Faruk Ertekin offer a diversity that further enriches the gallery’s vision and creates an unmissable experience for those who follow the developments in the art world. Their debut in Anna Laudel Istanbul. Untraditional can be visited  between March 1 and April 28.

Ertuğrul Güngör & Faruk Ertekin (1994, Kütahya)
Ertuğrul Güngör and Faruk Ertekin completed their education at Kütahya Fine Arts High School Painting Department. After completing their education at Kütahya Fine Arts High School, Ertuğrul Güngör completed Akdeniz University Faculty of Fine Arts Ceramics Department and Faruk Ertekin completed the Graphics Department of the same university. While Ertuğrul Güngör continued his education with a Master’s Degree in Ceramics, Faruk Ertekin worked in different fields such as illustration, mural works, digital media designs. 

The artist duo, who spent their childhood together in Kütahya, started their artistic production with the graffiti group they founded at the age of twelve. Ertuğrul Güngör and Faruk Ertekin, who have been sharing the same studio and producing together since then, look at the time they live in, the memory of the city they live in and the history of the ceramic material they use. Since 2018, the duo has interacted with the dynamic structure of the street with the two-dimensional ceramic vases they have left in public spaces and aims to instil in the urban memory that ceramics can have different intellectual discourses other than its traditional use. The artists develop a new language of expression by using contemporary and modern elements in their designs in an intercultural way. They work in two and three-dimensional forms on tile and ceramic surfaces which are mainly coloured with the characteristic cobalt blue of İznik and Kütahya region.