TÖZ / SUBSTANCE

“TÖZ / SUBSTANCE” Exhibition

In the exhibition “TÖZ / SUBSTANCE,” Ali Artun and Ahmet Yiğider invite viewers to explore the poetry, mystery, and enigma inherent in the substance of architecture.

“Substance is the nature of a thing; its essence.
The substance of architecture does not originate in function. It is poetic, enchanting, and mysterious.
Its symbols are celestial numbers and forms whose meanings are limitless. These symbols form a language specific to architecture—a grammar through which architecture has expressed itself for thousands of years.
TÖZ consists of essays written in this language, preserved in our collective memory. It points toward an imaginal architecture that lies beyond reason.”

— Ali Artun

Ali Artun
Ali Artun studied architecture at Middle East Technical University. He conducted professional research and publications at the Chamber of Architects. In 1984, he founded Galeri Nev in Ankara, playing a pioneering role in the development of contemporary art in Turkey. He taught art history at Yıldız Technical University, Marmara University, and Istanbul Technical University.

Artun has published numerous books and articles on twentieth-century art and art in Turkey. He was awarded the “Contribution to Architecture” prize by the Association of Freelance Architects in 2016 and by the Chamber of Architects in 2024.

He is the founding editor of the Art–Life series published by İletişim Publications and of the online art journal Skop. In 2023, he presented the exhibition Dreamerly Architecture at Soda Gallery, and in 2024, The Mind of Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture of Middle East Technical University, publishing books under the same titles.

Ahmet Yiğider
Ahmet Yiğider received his undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from Yıldız Technical University and completed his master’s degree in Design at the Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University.

In 2021, he held the sculpture exhibition Intellect at Moscow Gallery Fine Art. In 2024, his work Fig, Human, Soil was exhibited at the 9th Çanakkale Biennial. He became the youngest artist-educator invited to the Utopia Workshops of the Baksı Museum.

His exhibition Ant Nest was held at CerModern in Ankara in 2025, concurrently with the publication of his book Sensuality in Sculpture. Yiğider conducts interdisciplinary studies centered on science and art, focusing particularly on the sense of smell. He is the lead artist of the Endemics of Turkey project.

In his sculptural practice, Yiğider approaches abstraction as an ancient intuition intrinsic to humanity. Here, form is not representation but a mode through which existence senses itself. Each work becomes a silent record of the ontological dialogue between humans, nature, and the universe.