Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to the questions most often asked about the artist, the work, the exhibitions and how to get in touch.
Who is Ayfer Kalsın?
Ayfer Kalsın is a ceramic artist, born in Muş, Turkey, in 1965 and based in Istanbul. She graduated top of her class from the Ceramics and Glass Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Mimar Sinan University in 1988, and completed her master's thesis there in 1993 on modern Turkish ceramics of the Republican era. Since 1991 she has taken part in 15 solo and group exhibitions in Turkey and abroad.
What techniques does Ayfer Kalsın work in?
Her principal form is the porcelain installation: multi-part works built into a specific space. Alongside these she makes ceramic and porcelain relief panels, using underglaze painting, glazing and gold lustre. Part of the work made after 2005 combines porcelain, glass and mixed media.
What themes does her work address?
Ayfer Kalsın reads the heritage of traditional ceramics through a contemporary lens, working with ideas of space, time, memory and cultural identity. Domes, arches, tents and architectural motifs close to the language of miniature painting recur throughout her work. In the artist's own words: "The inside of a vessel is every bit as much a space as its outside. Each layer of clay carries a time; each mark, a memory."
What series has she made?
The site presents 6 series: Düşler Sahnesi, Kedizadeler, Revan, Misal, Zamansız Mekânlar / Mekânsız Zamanlar, Porselen Yerleştirmeler. Porcelain Installations (1991–2004) gathers the site-specific works of her early and middle periods, while Zamansız Mekânlar (2006), Misal (2008), Revan (2011) and Düşler Sahnesi (2014) collect the relief panel sequences. Kedizadeler stands apart: it began as cartoons in 2000 and moved into porcelain in 2004.
What is the Kedizadeler series?
Kedizadeler is a series in which the figure of a cat becomes first a character and then a portrait. It began as cartoons in 2000 and moved into porcelain reliefs in 2004. Cats in fezzes, top hats, spectacles or wings appear against settings such as the Eiffel Tower, Pera and New York, made with underglaze painting and gold lustre.
What was her first exhibition?
Her first recorded solo exhibition was "Mesaj I" (Message I), a porcelain installation shown at the Britzer Garten Orangerie in Berlin in 1991. It also marks the beginning of her sequence of site-specific installations.
Where has Ayfer Kalsın exhibited?
The site records 15 exhibitions — 14 solo and 1 group — between 1991 and 2014. Most took place in Istanbul, at venues including Galeri Apel, Galeri A, Arnavutköy Art Gallery, Art 212, the Hünkar Kasrı, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, the Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture, the Women's Library and the Santa Maria Church. Her first exhibition abroad opened in Berlin in 1991; she has also shown work in Tokyo, Shanghai and Bologna.
How many works are on the site?
39 works are published with their catalogue details. They are listed on the Works page, which can be filtered by series and year, and on the Archive page, which reads chronologically by year of making. Dimensions, medium and year are shown only where the artist has supplied them; missing details are never guessed at.
Are the works for sale?
Direct purchase through the site is currently closed. For the status, dimensions, price and delivery terms of a particular work, please contact the artist directly: WhatsApp (+90 532 373 60 91) or email (ayferkalsin@yahoo.com). Every work page carries a WhatsApp link with that work's details already filled in.
How can the artist be contacted?
WhatsApp is fastest: +90 532 373 60 91. The email address is ayferkalsin@yahoo.com and the studio telephone is +90 212 272 20 93. The Contact page also carries a form. The same addresses serve for exhibition, collaboration and press enquiries.
Where is the studio?
Ayfer Kalsın Art Studio is at 19 Mayıs Caddesi, Arkon Residence No: 22/15, Şişli / İstanbul, Istanbul. All of the work is held at the artist's studio. Studio visits and local delivery need to be arranged in advance.
Has she taught?
Ayfer Kalsın has taught courses on Contemporary Turkish Ceramics in the Ceramics Department of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. She graduated top of her class from the same university's Ceramics and Glass Department in 1988 and completed her master's degree there in 1993.
Has she published a book?
In 2006 she published Kömür'ün Cenneti together with Sema Olgaç. The book is also listed under Publications on the About page.
Can the images on this site be reused?
Copyright in all works, photographs and texts on this site belongs to the artist. Written permission is required in advance for press, academic or any other use; requests can be sent to ayferkalsin@yahoo.com.
What languages is the site published in?
The site is published in Turkish, English, German and Simplified Chinese. Titles of works and exhibitions stay in Turkish in every language — these are the artist's own titles and are not translated.
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