Summer Solstice

The summer solstice marks a turning point in time, a threshold in nature’s rhythm, a pause in the longest moment of light. In ancient cultures, it signaled the season of harvest, renewal, and celebration. Even today, it continues to evoke new beginnings and transformation. Organized by Galeri 77 this July, “Summer Solstice” is a special summer exhibition that revisits the works previously showcased during CI Bloom, offering them anew for those who missed the fair or wish to reconnect with them, and celebrating the first days of summer through art. Each piece in the selection gains renewed visibility, emerging under the solstice light in a fresh context.

In the moments where light meets form, various interpretations of abstraction come to the fore. Kirkor Sahakoğlu’s tranquil surfaces composed of homogenous tonal transitions enter into dialogue with the geometric rhythms of Armén Rotch and Sam Grigorian, while Mesut Karakış introduces structural tension through his mesh-like, mechanical compositions. Taron Marukyan’s dynamic and expressive textures evoke a visual vibration across the surface—much like the energy the rising summer sun leaves behind.

Transfigured figures blend with the motion of summer. In the semi-abstract compositions of Vav Hakobyan and Gago, vivid and contrasting colors create a fluid shift between figure and form. In Narek Arzumanyan’s work, abstraction and figuration coexist in a space of emotional and intuitive expression. Continuing this momentum, Sedat Girgin’s surreal, deconstructed figures become visual manifestations of inner consciousness, and his scenes conjure a rhythm disconnected from time and place, echoing an emotion that lingers beyond reality.

Sarkis Hamalbashian’s still lifes weave together Fauvist color, Cubist structure, and Morandi-like simplicity, shuttling between past and present. Roman Babakhanian’s photorealistic still lifes elevate everyday objects to monumental presence, almost sanctifying them through shifts in color and light. These ochre and turquoise-green toned scenes reinterpret classical tradition with contemporary clarity.

Summer also invites narratives and dreamlike associations. The figurative and surreal realms of İlker Kayalı and Mutlu Aksu draw viewers into visual stories, while Sergey Narazyan’s caricature-like scenes present an ironic, theatrical lens. Vahram Davtian, on the other hand, constructs surreal narratives woven with fantastical realism. With mythological references, exaggerated yet controlled forms, and a theatrical atmosphere, he draws viewers into his own imaginative cosmos, in stark contrast to Narazyan. Hakan Gürbüzer’s neo-Cubist portraits and Mehmet Resul Kaçar’s realistic figures and landscapes bring together diverse representations of identity and the body.

Sculptures add a powerful voice to this visual dialogue. Hakan Çınar’s figurative sculpture evokes the warmth and embrace of the sun through the posture of a figure hugging itself. However, the contrast between its body language and facial expression lends a deeper emotional complexity to the work. Edgar Grigoryan’s marble sculpture in the shape of “popcorn” creates a surprising moment of explosion, playing on the contradiction between the material’s solidity and the form’s ephemeral nature like a burst of humor erupting from stone.

These narratives extend across a wide formal spectrum. From oil, acrylic, and pencil to pastel, wood, and marble sculptures, the artworks invite viewers into a sensory and material journey. Echoing the inclusivity of the solstice, the exhibition makes visible both the reflective surface of light and its inner depth.

“Summer Solstice” is not just a group exhibition, it is a collection of encounters that follows the seasonal rhythm of art, offering a slowing down of time during the year’s longest days. It is an invitation to welcome summer together, to look again, rediscover, and heed the call of light.