The Volcano Lover

Artists: Melike Abasıyanık Kurtiç, Beatrice Arraes, Dalya Baruh, Lysandre Begijn, Hera Büyüktaşcıyan, Alex Červený, Marta Cypel, Sophie Dries, Pietro Fabris, Azzurra Galatolo, Dimitris Gketsis, Cecilia Granara, Başak Günak, Mariana Hahn, Jen Hitchings, Ahmet Doğu İpek, Merve İşeri, Marie Jacotey, Onur Kılıç, Stanislao Lepri, Yıldız Moran, Lara Ögel, Zoë Paul, Anousha Payne, Moritz Eduard Pechuël-Loesche, Camila Rocha, Thiago Rocha Pitta, Friedrich Rehberg, Johanna Seidel, Yusuf Sevinçli, Pari Sofianou, Ayla Tavares, Ayça Telgeren, Margaret R. Thompson, Gina Tibbott, Elif Uras, Burcu Yağcıoğlu, and Robert Wilson. Nineteen of these artists are being showcased in Türkiye for the first time.

Galerist presents “The Volcano Lover”, curated by Anlam de Coster. This group exhibition brings together nearly 40 artists from across North and South America, Africa, Europe, and Türkiye, exploring the universal symbolism of volcanoes as both creative and destructive forces. Spanning from the 18th century to the present, the selection includes newly commissioned works by more than 15 artists.

Volcanoes have long fascinated humanity, embodying a paradox of destruction and renewal. Despite their fearsome reputation, they have been essential to Earth’s formation and habitability. Recent eruptions and the threat of others highlight their symbolic resonance, representing both nature’s uncontrollable power and the cycles of transformation that emerge from chaos. Inspired by Susan Sontag’s “The Volcano Lover: A Romance”, the exhibition explores the volcano as a powerful archetype, reflecting unconscious forces, suppressed desires, and the cathartic power of release. Beyond personal meaning, volcanoes are linked to collective myths and serve as symbols of rebirth, connecting the earthly and the divine. Through this lens, The Volcano Lover considers how artists engage with the metaphor of the volcano to examine the depths of human experience.