BUBI | ICONS

Bubi, one of the leading figures in Turkish contemporary art, will meet art lovers on April 2 at DG Art Project with the exhibition “ICONS,” curated by Dr. Zeynep Öztürk. In this exhibition, Bubi reinterprets the conventional concept of the icon through his own artistic language, transforming icons—which have religious connotations in both Eastern and Western art—into a narrative that is everyday, personal, and at times ironic.

The artist, who has held numerous solo exhibitions both domestically and internationally, reexamines the concept of the icon within his own artistic practice. Although “Icons” historically signify a religious domain, they take on a different meaning in Bubi’s works. The artist questions the logic of icon-making and sanctification through figures ranging from ordinary people to weapons, from animals to comic book heroes, and the “other.” In this regard, the series invites the viewer not merely to look, but to become part of the inquiry. Spanning figures such as “Superman,” “Batman,” and “Red Kit” to “Family” and “Self-Portrait,” this series presents a fragmented yet coherent visual language belonging to the artist’s world.

Through vehicles such as tanks, catapults, and cannons featured in the exhibition, the artist constructs a critical discourse directed at these objects, which have been etched into human history with blood. He expresses his approach to the sanctification of weapons and their identification with individual identities with the following words: “I think, surprisingly, that they sanctify weapons and sometimes identify with them.”

Continuing to create works beyond conventional materials, the artist has combined various techniques—including paint, cardboard, fabric, nails, tar stitching, patches, gold leaf, and digital printing. In this sense, “Icons” can be viewed not merely as a series, but also as a summary of the style the artist has developed over the years—a stylistic retrospective.

The artist, who states that he does not create through deliberation or planning, begins the process with a moment of intense focus. At this point, the artist’s approach to creation finds its expression in his own words: “In art, the first person singular does not exist.”

Curated by Dr. Zeynep Öztürk, the “IKONALAR” exhibition will be on view at DG Art Project from April 2 to April 29, 2026.