Ismail Acar, who is hailed as one of the pioneers of the Turkish realism movement with his realistic paintings, paper carvings, and sculptures opened his first exhibition in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, as part of the 100th-anniversary celebrations of the Turkish Republic.

The exhibition, titled "Memory" and featuring works by the famous Turkish painter, was opened by the Embassy of Türkiye and will be open to visitors until Jan. 15, 2023.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition, held at the Talan Gallery, was attended by Mustafa Kapucu, Türkiye's Ambassador to Astana, his wife Ahu Kapucu, Abzal Saparbekulı, former Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Ankara, heads of diplomatic missions of countries, painters and many Kazakh art enthusiasts.

The exhibition, which features 40 oil paintings by Ismail Acar, attracted great interest from visitors.

Painter Acar expressed his delight in being present at the opening of his exhibition in Kazakhstan and he provided information about his works: "I try to create new things starting from the lands and geography where I was born. I reinterpret traditional themes."

Referring to the title of his exhibition, "Memory," Acar explained: "We are all searching for our memory. Both the world and we, the Turkic states, are searching for our memory. Therefore, I brought my works that express common values and memory to this exhibition."

Acar, noting the intense interest of visitors to the exhibition, said: "The interest of the visitors surprised me a lot. I was very pleased that my paintings received much attention in geography that I feel close to but do not know very well."

Acar has had hundreds of solo exhibitions and has participated in many group exhibitions, with his works showcased in museums, private collections and galleries throughout Europe and many parts of the world