Whilst a childlike innocence emerges from Baltacı’s technique which encourages the viewer to take a closer look at his compositions, repetitive objects are the first to be noticed right behind the velvety deep aspect of the pastel itself. Despite their recurrence, these figures are reintroduced into Baltacı’s seemingly simple interiors in an ever-unusual way. Scattered across vast monochrome surfaces, ostensibly harmless motifs such as a pair of earrings, a glass of water, a bouquet of lavender, or a sprig of grapes are transformed into threatening signs. The artist creates a singular visual language and initiates the observer to his repertoire through repetition as if to warn them. His familiar yet completely unknown timbre resonates through the silence.

The title of the exhibition, La part des lèvres refers to the Turkish expression “dudak payı bırakmak” which may be translated as “to leave a gap for a sip”. It alludes to the “safe distance” left between a hot or alcoholic beverage and the lips. Similarly, the series proposed by Baltacı is a call for caution to resist temptation; reminding us that a familiar and seductive melody can be deafening if we refuse to settle for its distant echoes.

Sensitive to photography, Baltacı prefers to set up his stories using diptychs and triptychs that would be best suited for his sequential narratives. Paris Internationale taking place in the former studio of Nadar this year, one of the leading photographers of the nineteenth century, enriches the young painter’s exhibition with a multitude of resonances.

Solo Exhibitions
2019 Hat Trick, Galeri Nev, Ankara, Turkey
2017 Right Corner of the Table, Galeri Nev, Ankara, Turkey

Group Exhibitions
2022 Another Round, Galeri Nev, Kendi Collection, Istanbul, Turkey
2022 O!, Galeri Nev, Ankara, Turkey
2021 Litho Days, Dou Print Studio, Ka Atelier, Ankara, Istanbul
2021 Wizard in the Garden, Erimtan Museum, Ankara, Turkey
2021 Apartman, Istanbul, Turkey
2019 Age of Gold, Galeri Nev, Ankara, Turkey
2019 Venus in Furs, Martch Art Project, Istanbul, Turkey
2018 The Same Garden, Evliyagil Museum, Ankara, Turkey
2018 Shaken Image, Pera Museum, Istanbul, Turkey
2018 Mamut Art Project 2018, Istanbul, Turkey
2017 Angel’s Share, Galeri Nev, Tütün Deposu, Istanbul, Turkey

Events
2019 Photography Workshop: Aileyi Fotoğrafla Oluşturmak, Gapo,Torun, Ankara, Turkey
2021 Lithography Workshop, Dou Print Studio, Ankara, Turkey
2019 The Seesaw Talks, Interior, With Umut Şumnu, Ka Atelier, Ankara, Turkey
2022 Reading The Artist, Peter Paul Rubens, With Kazım Şimşek, Ka Atelier, Ankara, Turkey

Anıl Saldıran’s works are intertwined by the encounters between the male body converging an encyclopedic or a mythological ideal, and the body of the artist himself. On a “moonlit night”, he goes for a silent walk in a forest of obscure bodies. He watches from afar those he meets, comes a little closer to few and listens to their breathing, and, at times, merely pierces through their bodies. Some fairy tales come to life in this state of consciousness between sleep and wakefulness. When the moonlight is not enough, Saldıran takes shelter in the most innocent tales of his childhood.

Solo Exhibitions
2022 Mehtaba Bürünmüş Gece, Galeri Nev, Ankara, Turkey
2015 Wuthering Street, Galeri Nev, Ankara, Turkey
2011 Bad Desire, Füsun İnan Gallery, Ankara, Turkey

Group Exhibitions
2021 Wizard in the Garden, Erimtan Museum, Ankara, Turkey
2021 Haunted by Faces, Evliyagil Museum, Ankara, Turkey
2021 Touched and Thrilled, Galeri Nev, Ankara, Turkey
2019 Age of Gold, Galeri Nev, Ankara, Turkey
2019 Venus in Furs, Martch Art Project, Istanbul, Turkey
2019 The Whole Planet was Inside, Galeri Nev, Maçka Sanat Galerisi İstanbul, Turkey
2018 Still Life with a Curtain, Galeri Nev, Galerist, İstanbul, Turkey
2018 Angel’s Share, Galeri Nev, Tütün Deposu, Istanbul, Turkey
2015 Pulsanti Aperietur, Abdülmecid Efendi Köşkü, İstanbul, Turkey
2015 NevGeneration: Amusement Park, Galeri Nev, Ankara, Turkey
2013 NevGeneraiton: Kafa Kağıdı, Galeri Nev, Ankara, Turkey