The Volcano Lover

Galerist is proud to present the exhibition The Volcano Lover, curated by Anlam de Coster. Opening on March 13, the group exhibition brings together nearly 40 artists from various countries in North and South America, Africa, Europe, and Türkiye, exploring the universal symbolism of volcanoes’ creative and destructive power. Spanning from the 18th century to the present, the selection also features newly commissioned works by more than 15 artists.

Since ancient times, volcanoes have fascinated and terrified humanity in our quest to understand our place on earth. They embody a paradoxical duality – at once a harbinger of devastation and a catalyst for renewal. Despite their disastrous reputation, volcanoes were essential to Earth's formation and remain crucial to its habitability.

Recent eruptions at Etna, Kilauea, Stromboli, and Sýlingafell, amongst others, and the threat of Santorini’s reawakening set an apocalyptic backdrop to an era of global upheaval, making their symbolism more resonant than ever. Their eruptions remind us of nature’s uncontrollable power and our fragility, yet they also symbolize the eternal cycles of transformation and fertility emerging from chaos. 

Inspired by Susan Sontag’s novel ‘The Volcano Lover: A Romance’, the exhibition constructs an allegorical volcano, inviting artists to explore its rich symbolic dimensions. As a powerful archetype, the volcano embodies the unconscious forces within the human psyche, mirroring dormant primal energies, suppressed desires, latent obsessions, and the cathartic power of an eruptive release.

Beyond the personal, the volcano resonates with collective myths and cultural narratives, often linked to gods, spirits, alchemy and cosmic forces. It acts as a threshold between the earthly and the divine, offering a portal to the underworld and the possibility of rebirth following a tumultuous journey in subterranean realms. 

Through this multifaceted lens, The Volcano Lover unveils how artists channel the metaphor of the volcano to investigate the depths of the human experience. The exhibition, which will be on view until April 26, brings together works by Melike Abasıyanık Kurtiç, Beatrice Arraes, Dalya Baruh, Lysandre Begijn, Hera Büyüktaşcıyan, Alex Červený, Sophie Dries, Pietro Fabris, Azzurra Galatolo, Dimitris Gketsis, Cecilia Granara, Başak Günak, Mariana Hahn, Jen Hitchings, Ahmet Doğu İpek, Merve İşeri, Marie Jacotey, Onur Kılıç, Stanislao Lepri, Yıldız Moran, Lara Ögel, Zoë Paul, Anousha Payne, Moritz Eduard Pechuël-Loesche, Camila Rocha, Thiago Rocha Pitta, Friedrich Rehberg, Johanna Seidel, Yusuf Sevinçli, Pari Sofianou, Ayla Tavares, Ayça Telgeren, Margaret R. Thompson, Gina Tibbott, Elif Uras, Burcu Yağcıoğlu, and Robert Wilson. 19 of these artists are being showcased in Türkiye for the first time.