Group exhibition "Sepharad. In the footsteps of a multicultural heritage"

On the 530th anniversary of the arrival of the Sephardic Jews in Ottoman lands, the Three Cultures Foundation and the Yunus Emre Institute in Madrid present the group exhibition of Turkish Sephardic artists 'Sepharad. In the footsteps of a multicultural heritage', which brings together some thirty Turkish Sephardic artists, curated by the artist Terry Katalan.

In 2014, the first exhibition was held at the Pere Pruna Centre in Barcelona, with the collaboration of the City Council and the Consulate General of Türkiye in Barcelona. In 2018, the exhibition 'Göke' with Sephardic artists was organised, also with the valuable support of the Yunus Emre Institute in London, the Türkiye Embassy and the Cervantes Institute.

After its recent visit to the Yunus Emre Institute in Amsterdam in 2021, this exhibition now comes to the Three Cultures Foundation with the support of the Yunus Emre Institute in Madrid, in addition to the collaboration of the Embassy of Türkiye, the Museum of Turkish Jews in Istanbul, the Fortnightly Foundation, and Centro Sefarad-Israel.

Through more than fifty works by 33 artists, we will be able to enjoy a mixture of the rich culture of Istanbul and the Sephardic heritage, which is the inspiration behind each of these works of art.  The Sephardic artists have chosen to display selected works that have their origins in history, popular culture, alternative forms and traditional arts.  The intention of the exhibition is to show cultural and social conditions from different viewpoints and perspectives, with a variety of colours present in paintings, photographs, ceramics and reliefs.

For the presentation of this exhibition, on 19 May at 19. 30, an interesting colloquium (in Spanish and Ladino) on 'Turkish Sephardim throughout history' will be organised, with the participation of Terry Katalan, curator of the exhibition; Silvio Ovadia, president of the Foundation of the Fifth Centenary of Turkish Jews; Nisya İşman Allovi, director of the Museum of Turkish Jews; İzzet Keribar, honorary photographer of the exhibition; Concha de Santa Ana, director of the Three Cultures Foundation of the Mediterranean; and C. Ersin Adıgüzel, director of the Yunus Emre Institute in Madrid.

With this exhibition, which can be visited until 30 September, the Yunus Emre Institute wishes to inspire and transmit the message of peace, love and tolerance to the world, showing how different cultural identities can live in harmony, sharing a rich heritage within a common space for centuries.