Romantika: Bir Ömrün Seyrüseferi

Institutions including the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, the Nâzım Hikmet Foundation for Culture and Arts, the Moscow Nâzım Hikmet Foundation for Culture and Arts, and the Ara Güler Archive and Research Center opened their archives for the exhibition. The exhibition brings together materials from the archive of Vera Tulyakova Hikmet, works from the collection of Gürkan Us, and works by Abidin Dino, Avni Arbaş, Doris Kahane, Natalia Goncharova and Jak İhmalyan, all of whom were connected in various ways to Nâzım Hikmet’s life.

Sedat Girgin, one of the prominent young representatives of contemporary Turkish painting, has created a work specifically for the exhibition. Several paintings by Nâzım Hikmet himself will also be on display.

TUGAY: NÂZIM HİKMET’S LIFE IN İZMİR

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay said the following in his remarks on the exhibition:

“Throughout its history, the İzmir International Fair has pioneered many firsts, and as it celebrates the pride of its 95th year, it is once again hosting a unique event. We are delighted to open Türkiye’s most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to our great poet and writer Nâzım Hikmet, whose work has left its mark on literature and resonated around the world. The exhibition, titled ‘Romantika: Bir Ömrün Seyrüseferi,’ brings together the blue of İzmir with Nâzım Hikmet’s blue of freedom. Focusing on the life, art and continuing influence of our great poet, the exhibition is, in a sense, a story of return to İzmir, which makes it particularly meaningful for us. ‘Romantika,’ which gives the exhibition its name, was the original title of his autobiographical novel published in Turkish as ‘Yaşamak Güzel Şey Be Kardeşim,’ and the novel begins in İzmir nearly a hundred years ago. In this way, the story returns, a century later, to where it first began.”

Cemil Tugay continued: “I would like to thank Folkart, which undertook the production of the exhibition, as well as all the institutions and individuals who contributed, our academics, artists and the organization team. The exhibition brings together highly valuable collections, institutions and individuals. From Anatolia, which he described in the lines ‘Galloping from Far Asia,’ the exhibition speaks out to the world. I hope this exhibition reaches audiences across all geographies, because his literature has transcended centuries and borders and continues to influence the entire world. Nâzım Hikmet once wrote, ‘I am very tired, do not wait for me, captain,’ yet we, his readers, continue to wait for the poet at that ‘blue harbour with plane trees and domes.’ We invite everyone to visit our exhibition at the Atlas Pavilion in Kültürpark, which will remain open until the evening of January 15, 2027.”

SANCAK: A DOOR OPENING IN İZMİR

Mesut Sancak, Chairman of the Board of Folkart, stated that he has long regarded contributing to İzmir’s cultural and artistic life as an important responsibility:

“A city’s identity is shaped not only by its buildings, roads and squares. What gives cities their enduring character is their memory, their artists, their writers and their stories. We attach great importance to bringing art to wider audiences, making significant cultural legacies visible, and enabling younger generations in particular to engage directly with this heritage.”

Thanking everyone who contributed to the preparation of the exhibition, particularly İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay, Mesut Sancak continued:

“Romantika was the title Nâzım Hikmet originally chose for his final autobiographical novel, Yaşamak Güzel Şey Be Kardeşim. This title holds a very special meaning for a Nâzım Hikmet exhibition opening in İzmir, because the novel begins in a hut in İzmir. Nâzım Hikmet takes us back to İzmir nearly a hundred years ago; from that small hut, memories unfold backwards, drawing us into the span of an entire life. In other words, through a door that opens in İzmir, we embark on a journey through the poet’s entire life. As Folkart, we are delighted and proud to bring such a valuable cultural legacy back into view in İzmir under the umbrella of the İzmir International Fair, to introduce it to younger generations, and to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to the cultural memory of both our city and Türkiye.”

GÜNEŞ: A LIFE THAT LIVES ON

The exhibition’s curator, architect M. Melih Güneş, emphasized that “Romantika” is not a conventional biographical exhibition, and said of the exhibition, which was brought together through extensive work:

“With this exhibition, we do not claim to present Nâzım Hikmet’s life as a complete chronology of dates and events. Documents, personal belongings, manuscripts, letters and works of art drawn from different collections, from the home of his son Mehmet Hikmet in France, and from the house where Nâzım Hikmet lived in Moscow allow us to construct a far more multi-layered narrative of his life. Each document bears witness not only to a life, but also to an idea, a body of literature and an era. With ‘Romantika / Bir Ömrün Seyrüseferi,’ we are not telling the story of a life brought to an end by death, but of a life that continues to live on today through his works, books and cultural legacy.”

“Nâzım Hikmet: Romantika / Bir Ömrün Seyrüseferi” will be open to visitors at the Atlas Pavilion in Kültürpark from September 5 as part of the 95th İzmir International Fair. The exhibition will remain open until January 15, 2027.

EXHIBITION CREDITS

Exhibition Title: NÂZIM HİKMET / Romantika: Bir Ömrün Seyrüseferi

Production and Management: Folkart

In Collaboration with and Hosted by: İzmir Metropolitan Municipality

Director: Ünal Ersözlü

Curator: M. Melih Güneş

Exhibition Identity and Design: Ömer Durmaz

Consultant: Volkan Severcan

Venue: Atlas Pavilion, Kültürpark, İZMİR

Dates: September 5, 2026 – January 15, 2027