Mesut Öztürk (b. 1989, Bulgaria) studied architecture at Yeditepe University and completed his MA at Istanbul Bilgi University, focusing on Istanbul’s informal settlements. His ceramic practice draws on his architectural background and observations of place, exploring material limits and translating ideas of urban form, memory, and spatial poetics into sculpture.
An early guest artist at A.R.C., Mesut Öztürk is featured in an interview in A.R.C. Journal #3. Link in bio.
Photos: Nilay Eren
“In craft practice, the contemporary obsession with originality simply doesn’t exist. That alone is striking. In today’s art discourse, we are constantly chasing novelty, often at the expense of depth. In craftsmanship, the focus is different: repetition, refinement, mastery. Not better or worse—just a fundamentally different logic. I find that distinction important.” — Mesut Öztürk
Read the full interview in A.R.C. Journal #3 and subscribe via the link in bio.
Photos by Nilay Eren
A.R.C. Journal #3 is out! Featuring Mesut Öztürk, one of the first guest artists at A.R.C., reflecting on his practice, material, process, and the slow shaping of form.
Subscribe to A.R.C. Journal: a digital archive of creative process, research, and encounters from Cappadocia.
Photo by Nilay Eren
Mini UOI by Mesut Öztürk
Farklı disiplinlerden 12 yaratıcının tasarladığı charm’ların yer aldığı “Third Time is the Charm” sergisini 1 Mart tarihine kadar hafta sonları Mercado Lab’de ziyaret edebilir ve limitli sayıdaki charmları mercadolab.store adresinden satın alabilirsiniz.
📸 @yigitsismanoglu
‘’Behind the Booth’’ What kind of story are you constructing at Art Show this year?
Avant D’art collaborates once again with Art Show: Galeriler Buluşması 2026.
Bringing together galleries and various actors of the art world in Istanbul, this gathering unfolds through solo and duo presentations, creating more focused, clearer, and stronger narratives.
Placing solidarity over competition and dialogue over hierarchy, this structure invites us to rethink the fair not merely as a display space, but as a ground for physical encounter and the production of context.
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Bu yıl Artshow’da nasıl bir hikâye kuruyorsunuz?
Avant D’art, Art Show: Galeriler Buluşması 2026 ile yeniden iş birliği yapıyor.
İstanbul’da galerileri ve sanat dünyasının farklı aktörlerini bir araya getiren bu buluşmada; solo ve duo sunumlarla daha odaklı, daha net ve daha güçlü anlatılar kuruluyor.
Rekabet yerine dayanışmayı, hiyerarşi yerine diyaloğu merkeze alan bu yapı; yalnızca bir sergileme alanı değil, fiziksel karşılaşma ve bağlam üretme zemini olarak yeniden düşünmeye davet ediyor.
#avantdart #artshow
In the Nested (İç İçe) series, clay folds come together through a controlled contingency, forming a precarious equilibrium. Each curve bends into another, generating volumes that are neither fully open nor completely enclosed. Although these spaces seem as if they might offer the feeling of a secure interior, they ultimately resist it, remaining in an uncanny state of fluidity. The irregular, uneven surfaces evoke a living organism, or its skeleton. In fact, their skeletal quality is intentional; yet it remains unclear whether they belong to an animal, a plant, a building, or a machine. The discontinuity of color and texture recalls rust or patina, blurring any clear sense of temporal belonging. Filling these spatial and temporal gaps is left to the viewer. The Nested sculptures can be many things at once, or perhaps nothing at all.
Öktem Aykut, Art Show: Galeriler Buluşması’na Bora Başkan’ın ve Mesut Öztürk’ün eserleri ile yer alıyor. Galeri, B9 numaralı stantta Pazar gününe kadar ziyaret edilebilir.
Öktem Aykut is participating in Art Show with works by Bora Başkan and Mesut Öztürk. Gallery can be visited at booth B9 until Sunday.
@baskan.bora@mesozt@artshowgalerilerbulusmasi
#ArtShowGalerilerBuluşması
#MesutÖztürk
#BoraBaşkan
📷 @barisozcetin
İstanbul Boğazı, yaratıcı üretim ve yaşam
Hayranlık bazen bir takımdan başlıyor, bazen bir insandan, bazen de hayata bakma biçiminden. @mesozt ’un anlatısı; futboldan uzaklaşıp üretimde kalmaya, öfkeden gözleme, hızdan durmaya doğru açılıyor.
Sana Hayranım serisinde konuklarımızdan hayranlıklarını yeniden düşünmelerini istiyoruz; bu yoğun beğeninin insanı nasıl dönüştürdüğünü, nerelere taşıdığını birlikte görüyoruz.
Röportaj: @tanerturna
𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗧 selected by LESS ORDINARY STUDIO™ - showcasing selected works by independent artists and celebrating artistic expression.
thanks to mesut öztürk
#lessordinarystudio #LOSTselected #mesutozturk
The Waves at Contour Gallery! Here are some highlights from the opening… The exhibition is on view until the 1st of March. Please stay tuned for upcoming public programs!
Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s The Waves, this exhibition traces the shifting tides between self and environment through identity, memory, and interconnectedness. Curious for more? Come visit.
Grateful to the incredible artists for making this exhibition possible @lana_mesic@gamzeozturk.art@anouk_kruithof@mesozt@contour.gallery
Special thanks to the team, all colleagues and friends who helped us along the way.
Photo Credits @hasanozgurtop
This project is realised with the generous support of our partners and funders: CBK Rotterdam, Erasmus Stichting, NonSpace and Gemeente Rotterdam. @cbkrotterdam #erasmusstichting @gemeenterotterdam@wearenonspace
#thewaves #tentoonstelling #rotterdam #contemporaryart
