If you are planning to visit Turkey’s spellbinding Aegean coast this summer, you will absolutely find yourself in the resort town of Bodrum at one point. Bodrum is famous for an alluring combination of nightlife, beaches and history, which has turned it into a hot spot for celebrities, models and the royal elite. In addition to this popularity, Bodrum, the pearl of the country’s southwestern coast, shines with art this year.

I preferred to start the summer holiday season in Bodrum with unique exhibitions opened in the well-known venues of the town. After the huge impact of the global pandemic, I am sure that all art lovers out there miss plunging into a garden, venue or gallery full of beautiful works of art. Therefore, I have compiled some of the must-see exhibitions of the 2022 season in Bodrum for you.

König Galerie

Many artists have drawn inspiration from nature for centuries, and it continues to be a source of inspiration today. The "Harmony" exhibition, which opened at Bodrum Loft in collaboration with Berlin-based König Galerie, is named after the harmony created by the combination of artists and their work with nature. The exhibition, with a minimalist and modernist approach, is an opportunity to experience Bodrum Loft, a unique encounter with artwork from different perspectives of green and blue.

The exhibition features seven works by international artists, including Alicja Kwade, Claudia Comte, Jose Davila and Jeppe Hein. Kwade is a Polish-German contemporary visual artist. In her sculptures and installations, she focuses on the subjectivity of time and space, manipulating materials through chemical processes to explore the transience of the physical world. She wants spectators to reconsider their view of the world and be intrigued by the line where science and mistrust intersect.

Hein, who is from Denmark, works passionately with the tradition of conceptual art and minimalist sculpture of the 1970s. His work is distinguished by its simplicity and frequent use of humor and offers a unique perspective on the intersection of art, architecture and technological inventions. Hein likes to combine elements with an intriguing and unexpected streak that puts the action at the center and emphasizes the experience and perception of the environment.

Mexican multidisciplinary artist Davila on the other hand draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including the modernist tradition in art. His work aims to investigate the nature of sculpture by frequently connecting the idea of "balance" to the making of sculptures and their appreciation in visual cultures. The artist’s work also places a strong emphasis on the cultural history of stone and how it relates to the world of humans.

Swiss minimalist visual artist Comte is recognized for her site-specific installations and is intrigued by material memory. Each piece of art in her collection has a special, playful relationship with the others and is regulated by a special set of measures and rules that she invented. She asserts that marble is liquid at its core and that it symbolizes the oceans.

Pilevneli exhibitions

Pilevneli starts exhibiting in Bodrum with a new venue located on a 6.5-decare land consisting of 1,500 square meters (16,000 square feet) of closed area and 5,000 square meters of open space. Pilevneli Yalıkavak will remain open until Sept. 15.

The gallery space, with its unique scenery, creates a contemporary art space in Bodrum that offers a riveting experience to its visitors this summer. Pilevneli Yalıkavak welcomes art lovers with two different exhibitions. The first exhibition extends to all of the stone houses of the gallery and the garden surrounding the buildings. Comprising of the works of the recent works of the gallery’s artists, the group show features works by Bora Akıncıtürk, Nevin Aladağ, Refik Anadol, Nobuyoshi Araki, Johan Creten, Ali Elmacı, Jan Fabre, Esra Gülmen, Hechizoo, Tim Kent, Daniel Knorr, Arik Levy, Bjarne Melgaard, Mehmet & Kazım, Frank Nitsche, Hans Op de Beeck, Zoe Ouvrier, Michael Sailstorfer, Serkan Sarıer, Meltem Sarıkaya, Defne Tesal, Tarık Töre, Richard Wilson and Erdoğan Zümrütoğlu.

In the other exhibition, Pilevneli hosts a sculpture exhibition that focuses on human figures in collaboration with König Galerie and Galleria Continua. In the show, each gallery presents works by three artists they represent. The exhibition focusing on human figures and the physical depiction of the human includes artists Kathryn Andrews, Daniel Arsham, and Elmgreen & Dragset from König Galerie, Hans Op de Beeck, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Pascale Marthine Tayou from Galleria Continua, and Johan Creten, Serkan Sarıer, and Erdoğan Zümrütoğlu from Pilevneli.

‘Relics’

Featuring the works of 13 national and international artists, an exhibition titled "Relics" was opened at the Ruins Bodrum. The exhibition, which includes works by artists of different genres, ages and thoughts, is being conducted in collaboration with Muse Contemporary.

Looking at an art form that is not taken seriously because of its gendered past, the show brings together Canan Savaş, Kübra Yarar, Kübra Doğu, Cem Sağbil, Reka Nyari, Jeff Robb, Sinan Polvan, Rahşan Düren, Sandra Çavdar, Murad Babadağ, Yasemin Vardarlılar, Jake Michael Singer and Mehrnoush Esmaeilpour, displaying works that communicate with one another as well as the history.

The artists of the exhibition act as a bridge between the past and the future. They emphasize the importance of labor by reinterpreting the tradition and traditional through the lens of contemporary themes such as sustainability and recycling. By creating contemporary archives, they ensure that lost values are passed on to the next generations.

Invitation to Barbaros Bay

Another top art show to see in Bodrum is a collection exhibition prepared by Özlem Alıcı’s Artgalerim. The exhibition entitled "Art Summer 2022," which opened at the Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay Bodrum, features many fascinating sculptures and artworks. The group exhibition in the new space presents well-known international and Turkish contemporary artists. All artworks, paintings and sculptures invite the viewer on a visual journey beyond the surface.

Among the artists of the exhibition are Ekrem Yalçındağ, Cengiz Yatağan, Nilay Özenbay, Gonca Kopuz, Ayhan Kıray, Salih Zeki Sayar, Saim Erken and Hasan Cem Araptarlı. The exhibition will be on view until Sept. 15.