A New Technique For An Invigorated Market

Nejat Satı is one of the new breed of Turkish artists who have benefited from the invigoration of the country’s contemporary art scene over the last 27 years.

As part of the Turkey’s long, on-going desire to become a member of the European Union the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts founded the Istanbul Biennale in 1987. Over its 13 editions it has grown in stature to often become mentioned in the same breath as Venice, Sao Paulo and Sydney. In 2006 the Istanbul Contemporary Art Fair opened its doors and it likewise it has grown to hosting over 120 galleries and institutions from around the world this year. As Turkish artist Ekrem Yalcindag said in a 2010 Financial Times interview, “Ten years ago there were merely three or four galleries in Istanbul. Today this number exceeds 250.”  

Sati currently has an exhibition at one of these ‘new’ galleries. Pi Artworks, which opened a London space in October 2013, will be showing his work until the end of the year at their Istanbul gallery. For his exhibition, Nefs (which in Arabic refers to “the flesh”), Sati has created his own painting material to make works which he refers to as “organic abstraction.”  He adds a quick drying gel to acrylic paint which he then applies to his canvases with brushes and/or a squeegee.   The result is a dynamic, experimental body of work that has unpredictable outcomes.

In September Sati exhibited these works in Hong Kong’s Yellay Gallery along with his compatriot Horasan.