Siyah Beyaz Art Gallery is hosting Bedri Baykam’s solo exhibition titled the Path Openers and the Paths I Seek. Known for his multifaceted multimedia works that span from Pop Art to political themes and his expressive use of paint, Baykam is presenting the Still Wet series—utilizing thick paint and transparent surfaces— to the audience for the first time in Turkey.

In this series, which was exhibited in 2023 at Gloria Delson Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the artist brings a fresh perspective to the ongoing journey of abstract painting from 1913 to the present, elevating it to a different dimension in this exhibition. Baykam describes the core of his abstract series, summarized as State and Change in 1981 and composed of eight paintings, as “the series' center, reflecting the series of changes created by similar situations arising from the ongoing interactions of the universe and the subsequent tremors in space.” The artist questions the balance of the universe we inhabit through those who are part of the order and those who lead change.

These path openers, who shape the artist’s own existence and identity, include numerous figures from history that we have encountered in social, political, and artistic realms—from Baudelaire to Picabia, Picasso to Magritte, and Tesla to Atatürk. The Path Openers series pays tribute to these figures while also relating to the Still Wet series through its layers of paint and formal approach.

Bedri Baykam's solo exhibition, the Path Openers and the Paths I Seek, showcasing both the Still Wet and the Path Openers series, can be visited at Siyah Beyaz Art Gallery every day except Sunday, from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, until November 30.

Kavaklıdere Sok. No: 3/1-2 Kavaklıdere, Ankara, TÜRKİYE 06540