Exhibition of Abkhaz Artists Opens in Istanbul

İSTANBUL ―  An exhibition showcasing the works of Abkhaz artists has opened in Istanbul. The exhibition, titled "Soot," is dedicated to the fire at the Artists' Union building, where paintings from the National Art Gallery's collection were stored.

The Barin Han gallery is featuring works by ten artists: Asida Akhuba, Adamur Arshba, Apsha Khagba, Astanda Chamagua, Batal Dzhapua, Sabina Kvarchalia, Diana Khintba, Oleg Chedia, Saida Kvitsinia, and Arkhip Labakhua.

"The concept and theme of the exhibition are centred around the fire in the storage of the National Art Gallery of Abkhazia," Apsha Khagba explained.

The artists have created works across various disciplines using ash and remnants from the incident. Through these pieces, they generate new meanings and forms from the ashes of lost works, highlighting the resilient nature of art and memory. Each piece reassembles fragmented elements of identity, demonstrating how these fragments can come together to form a new whole.

The exhibition will remain open until 19 September. According to Khagba, it has attracted great interest, with more than 200 people attending the opening.

The event is curated by Denef Huvaj and Sine Ergun, with support from the AUADA gallery and the Ministry of Culture of Abkhazia.

On the night of January 20 to 21, a devastating fire engulfed the Central Exhibition Hall of the Union of Artists of Abkhazia, where the entire collection of the National Art Gallery was housed in Sukhum, dealing an irreplaceable blow to cultural heritage. Over 4,000 unique works by Abkhazian artists were lost forever, including 300 works by Alexander Chachba-Shervashidze, paintings by Varvara Bubnova, creations by Marina Eshba, and pieces by Valery Gamgia, the designer of symbols for independent Abkhazia. This tragedy at the National Gallery has since been referred to as "Black Sunday."