“Alexis Gritchenko: Continue to explore the "Years of Istanbul" exhibition with special contents
The Alexis Gritchenko: The Constantinople Years exhibition brought together more than 150 works the artist made during his stay in Istanbul after 100 years, taking his memoirs as a guide. Meşher aimed to help visitors rediscover the city with colors and forms through Gritchenko’s eyes. During times of isolation, the exhibition curators present a video content series where they talk about the Istanbul of 100 years ago through Gritchenko’s perspective.

Exhibition talks move to Meşher’s podcast channel
Meşher takes parallel events planned for the Alexis Gritchenko: The Constantinople Years exhibition online. The first episode of the exhibition talks where curators Ebru Esra Satıcı and Şeyda Çetin meet Ayşenur Güler, one of the exhibition consultants, to talk about the production process and themes they selected, is accessible via Meşher’s podcast channel. The video version including images from the exhibition can be viewed from YouTube.

Selections from Meşher’s archive on our YouTube channel
Video recordings of the symposium “Clay Across Cultures” realized in parallel with the inaugural exhibition Beyond the Vessel can be viewed from Meşher’s YouTube channel. The documentary Jeg Mener–Jeg Ser (I Think–I See) by Jørgen Haugen Sørensen, one of the exhibition’s artists that captures moments from the last ten years of his life will also be broadcast from Meşher’s YouTube channel during May.


Exhibition books available online
Published in separate volumes in Turkish and English, Meşher’s exhibition books will be available online in parts.

Excerpts from Alexis Gritchenko’s memoirs titled Two Years in Constantinople narrated by the Meşher team
During his time in Istanbul, Gritchenko recorded his experiences in notebooks. Later, in Paris, these were collated and published as memoirs in 1930 under the title Deux ans à Constantinople (Two Years in Constantinople). While the exhibition showcases the artist’s Istanbul artworks, these have been correlated with the corresponding accounts in his memoirs and notes to further inform and orientate the viewer. A Turkish translation of his memoirs was also prepared for publication simultaneously with the exhibition by Yapı Kredi Publications, which details Gritchenko’s experience and his passion for work.

Online visits to international artist with the video series “Artists at Home”
Meşher shared the experiences of the artists of the Beyond the Vessel exhibition during isolation on a weekly basis via Instagram and Facebook. The artists’ daily lives reached Meşher’s followers on Instagram IGTV in the form of videos and photographs provided by the artists themselves.

About the artist The Ukrainian artist Alexis Gritchenko (b. 1883, Krolevets–d. 1977, Vence) was a practitioner of modern art in the early 20th century in Moscow; Moscow being one of the major art centers of the time. He participated in exhibitions that also included avant-garde painters Kazimir Malevich and Wassily Kandinsky. He also published books as an artist and art critic and taught at the art school. Gritchenko fled the October Revolution of 1917 and subsequent the civil war and arrived in Istanbul in November 1919. The city provided a relatively safe haven for the artist between 1919 and 1921. Gritchenko settled in Paris in 1921, and then in Southern France after 1924. His works were included in many exhibitions held in Europe and America and notably at the Salon d’Automne (Autumn Salon) in Paris. The Alexis Gritchenko Foundation was established in New York in 1958. In 2006, fulfilling the artist’s bequest, the artworks in this collection were handed over to the National Art Museum of Ukraine.

Meşher
Initiated by the Vehbi Koç Foundation (VKV), Meşher was conceived as an exhibition space that would hold a wide array of exhibitions with a range of subjects as well as organizing a variety of activities such as workshops and conferences. With a name that means “exhibition space” in Ottoman Turkish, Meşher aims to provide an inspiring platform of dialogue across time and cultures and has been welcoming visitors since its inauguration in September 2019. With an exhibition area of 900 sqm on three floors and an additional 100-sqm space dedicated to events, Meşher will continue to contribute to the arts and culture scene through hosting exhibitions, organizing various programs on a wide range of subjects both historical and contemporary and act as a reference point with its research-oriented academic stance and publications.

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Meşher is temporarily closed due to health precautions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Please follow our website and social media channels for updates and get information by subscribing to our newsletter.

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