“My Roses, My Dreams”

(10 February -21 March 1998)

From the garden of MAG into the gallery, Karamustafa placed rhymes from poems and her childhood photos into the alcoves.

Articles about the exhibition

• Ahu Antmen, “Biter Gider Geçer Uçar Günler”, Cumhuriyet newspaper, 21 February 1998.
• Anonymous, “Bir Çocukluk Fotoğrafının ve Kafiyelerin İzinde…”, Vizon magazine, February 1998.

“MAG has an honorable position in Turkish art. In a country where continuity is not given importance in any field, MAG represents continuity in art persistently, enduring many hardships. The decision to close the gallery after 40 years makes me sad in every aspect, but I trust the reason behind it. When we think about what the gallery accomplished all this time, we could easily see there is great employment and contribution to Turkish art.  When we take a look at the list of artists MAG has worked with, we see with whom they worked with and how, the vision they have, the valuable recollection they put together in art history professionally. MAG and Rabia complete each other. In a hidden corner of every exhibition, you see a distinctive signature. She has never left any exhibition alone; she has hosted everyone with elegance and kept the meeting space and discussions alive. I opened one of my best exhibitions in Maçka. For me, it was a special exhibition that revealed my materials and individual memories. The space represented the exhibition very well. To me, the space is neutral, not directive as some claim. It could be used plainly if preferred. The walls could be used to hang the works. At the same time, the space could be considered as a guide to artists. Because sometimes it evokes things. Like in Sarkis’ 'Rookie Street' exhibition. In my exhibition, this space engraved a memory and displayed it. This memory suited into the space better than I expected. Therefore, I owe a lot to the space that enabled this and to the circle of friends around it.

Gulsun Karamustafa (31.01.2016)