Istanbul Modern prepares for an Ömer Uluç Exhibition

The exhibition brings together 300 of Ömer Uluç’s works from the 1960s to 2010, the year of the artist’s passing. This large selection includes works from the artist’s early practice and examples of the diverse modes of expression defining his art, which are organized along various themes. 

“Ömer Uluç: Beyond the Horizon” spans multiple disciplines, from drawings and sketches on paper, to acrylic on canvas, collages, and sculptures. It also features works created with materials such as rubber, felt, aluminum, acrylic sheets, PVC, and polyester.

Curated by Öykü Özsoy Sağnak and Nilay Dursun, with Naz Uğurlu Benek as assistant curator, the exhibition explores the artist’s thoughts on the complex relationship between humanity and the universe. By reflecting on how Uluç transcends traditional artistic boundaries, the exhibition invites viewers on a journey beyond time and space.

A modern-day voyager

Born in 1931, Ömer Uluç graduated from Robert College in 1953 and initially studied engineering in the United States before shifting his focus to painting. He was part of the “Attic Painters,” a group founded in 1951 under the leadership of Nuri İyem. Throughout his life, Uluç lived and worked in various cities: Paris and London in 1965, the United States and Mexico in 1972–1973, Nigeria between 1973–1977, and from 1983 until his passing in 2010, he divided his time between Paris and Istanbul. Influenced by his travels and life in diverse geographies, Uluç created a vivid album of beings—a universe populated by humans, animals, and supernatural creatures—infused with sharp irony and humour. Throughout his life and in all of his works, Ömer Uluç was an artist who nurtured the spirit of discovery and exploration in modern art.