Located at the center of the cultural and artistic activities of the 95th Izmir International Fair, which will start on September 5 this year, the "ROMANTICA / Journey of a Life" exhibition, one of the most comprehensive exhibitions of Nâzım Hikmet opened in Turkey to date, opened its doors with a ceremony.
The exhibition, hosted and supported by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and produced by Folkart, can be visited at the Atlas Pavilion between 5 September 2026 and 15 January 2027.
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition. Cemil Tugay, AKP General Secretary and İzmir Deputy Eyyüp Kadir İnan, New Party İzmir Deputy Ednan Arslan, Folkart Chairman of the Board of Directors Mesut Sancak, New Party İzmir Provincial Chairman Çağatay Güç, AKP İzmir Provincial Chairman Bilal Saygılı, Zafer Party İzmir Provincial Chairman Sinan Bezircilioğlu, Selçuk Mayor Filiz Ceritoğlu Sengel, İzmir Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mahmut Özgener, In addition to İZFAŞ General Manager Tuğçe Cumalıoğlu, political party representatives, council members, presidents and representatives of non-governmental organizations, art lovers, members of the press and well-known names of the art world attended.
TUGAY: A FASCINATING JOURNEY FROM IZMIR
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. started his speech by saying that they have realized the most comprehensive exhibition ever opened in Türkiye in the name of Nâzım Hikmet. Cemil Tugay said, "We are witnessing a 'homecoming' story, the return of a great story to the place where it started after a hundred years. This huge meeting, focusing on the life, art and influence of Nâzım Hikmet today, takes its name from Romantika, the first name of the poet's autobiographical novel, which he completed in 1962 and published in Turkish under the name 'Living is a Good Thing, Brother'. The time frame of this novel begins in a hut in Izmir.
Nearly a century ago, Nâzım Hikmet takes us from these lands, from the days of Izmir, and takes us on the journey of a whole lifetime. The exhibition we opened today is a fascinating journey through the poet's entire life, from a door opened in Izmir. "The deep-rooted bond established with the Izmir days in 1925, the Ballad of Those Who Drink the Sun and the National Forces makes Izmir one of the most basic narrative axes of this exhibition," he said.
“WE CONTINUE TO WAIT FOR THE POET AND KEEP HIS LEGACY ALIVE”
Tugay said that the exhibition, spread over 15 halls including the foyer in an area of 2 thousand 125 square meters, went far beyond the understanding of a classical biography and said, "The exhibition was prepared with the contribution of many national and international institutions, from the Russian State Literature and Art Archive to the Nâzım Hikmet Culture and Art Foundation, from the Ara Güler Archive and Research Center to Vera Tulyakova Hikmet's archive and collectors. From Abidin Dino to Avni Hundreds of valuable documents, from Arbaş's own paintings to manuscripts and personal belongings, are presented to art lovers for the first time in such a holistic layer.
The poet was saying, 'I'm very tired, don't wait for me, captain'; However, we, as his readers, continue to wait for the poet in that 'blue harbor with plane trees and domes' and keep his legacy alive. Because Nâzım's literature has transcended centuries and borders, it has become a universal cry from Anatolia to the world, 'Galloping and filtering from Far Asia'," he said.
SANCAK: OUR RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS IZMIR IS NOT CONSIDERATION
Folkart Chairman Mesut Sancak, who started his speech with the master poet's poem "This Country is Ours", said, "Last year, we had an Atatürk exhibition again these days. A total of 295 thousand people visited it. This is a record. It is extraordinary that this many people come to an art gallery. This shows Izmir's commitment and interest in art and culture. We did not want to leave this interest of the people of Izmir unrequited. This is our responsibility to the city. It is not a favor. This is our responsibility to the city." "We will continue to hold similar exhibitions in the future, I would like to thank Izmir Metropolitan Municipality," he said.
İNAN: I AM HAPPY TO BE IN THIS BEAUTIFUL IZMIR PHOTO
AK Party General Secretary and Izmir Deputy Eyyüp Kadir İnan said, "I am happy to come together with you in this beautiful environment, in this beautiful Izmir photograph, in this exceptional work. I also spent my high school years reading Nazım Hikmet's poems and understanding the deep love for the country in his verses. When one is young, one does not only get aesthetic pleasure from the poems in those texts, but actually internalizes the perspectives of the world's history of thought. This is the most exceptional event organized to keep the cultural memory of this country alive." "We are in one of the exhibitions. Nazım Hikmet spent the last days of his life with longing for his homeland," he said.
GÜÇ: WE WITNESS THE GREAT JOURNEY FROM IZMIR
New Party Izmir Provincial Chairman Çağatay Güç said, "From Izmir, we are witnessing the great journey that Nazım Hikmet, one of the greatest poets of this land, fit into a lifetime. I would like to thank our Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, who made a great contribution to Izmir. I hope that the exhibition will be beneficial to the art and culture life of our country. It is a great chance for us that Nazım Hikmet is a strong republican intellectual. The works and memory of Nazım Hikmet are the foundation of freedom, the republic, "It is important that it be kept alive in such a comprehensive exhibition in Izmir, the city of enlightenment, and we hope it will spread to every corner of our country," he said.
SAYGILI: WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AGAIN AT THE TRACES HE LEFT
AK Party Izmir Provincial Chairman Bilal Saygılı said, "Art, literature and culture have a very valuable power that brings people together and establishes bonds between different times and generations. Art is one of the most valuable results of people's efforts to live a better life in making sense of life. Today, here we have the opportunity to look again at the life, works and traces left by Nazım Hikmet, one of the important names of literature."
BEZİRCİLİOĞLU: LONG LIVE THE COUNTRY, LONG LIVE NAZIM HİKMET
Victory Party Izmir Provincial Chairman Sinan Bezircilioğlu said, "Seeing that Nazım Hikmet and the ideology he represents are at the same point with us in terms of homeland really takes us to a different dimension. Long live the homeland, long live Nazım Hikmet."
SAVAŞIR: I HOPE THIS EXHIBITION WILL LEAD THE MUSEUM
Ali Galip Savaşir, President of the Moscow Nazım Hikmet Culture and Art Foundation, said, "It is an indescribable feeling for me to be at the opening of a special exhibition dedicated to Nazım Hikmet in Izmir, the city where I was born. This exhibition offers us a deep journey that includes not only certain aspects of Nazım Hikmet, but also his stormy life. A journey that extends from his books, his loves, his exiles, his hope, to his belief in humanity. This exhibition, which we are honored to be able to contribute to, has been about Nazım Hikmet until today. "We are witnesses to the fact that it is the most special and comprehensive exhibition ever made. I hope this exhibition will lead the way for the Nazım Hikmet Museum as well," he said.
ORAL: IT'S VERY NICE THAT THIS EXHIBITION IS STARTING IN IZMIR
Nazım Hikmet Culture and Art Foundation Board Member Zeynep Oral said, "I have been astonished since I arrived. I did not expect such a thing. I think it will be an event. I would like to state that it is an exhibition that all students and young people should see. It is also very nice that this exhibition is starting in Izmir."
ARCAY: VERY GOOD, WE DID IT VERY RIGHT
Özcan Arcay, Deputy Chairman of Nazım Hikmet Culture and Art Foundation, expressed his happiness in being a part of the exhibition and said, "We have done a very good, very right job. Such a beautiful exhibition will contribute a lot not only to Izmir but also to Türkiye. I am proud to be a part of it. Nazım beautifies and values the things he touches. It is a great thing to start this exhibition in Izmir."
THANKS TO TUGAY FROM ERSÖZLÜ
Providing information about the exhibition, Folkart Corporate Communications Director Ünal Ersözlü said, "Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay has given great support to us meeting with the masses in the center of Izmir for two years. We thank him very much."
After the speeches, President Tugay and the guests visited the exhibition.
The exhibition, curated by M. Melih Güneş and exhibition identification and design undertaken by Ömer Durmaz, was set up in 15 halls, including the foyer, in an area of approximately 2,125 square meters. Hundreds of documents, manuscripts, personal belongings and audiovisual records brought together from individuals, institutions, archives and collections in Türkiye and abroad; It was brought together with different disciplines such as literature, painting, sculpture, photography, film and design. Rather than narrating Nâzım Hikmet's life in a classical chronology, the exhibition discusses it through a multi-layered fiction that opens up to different periods and narratives.
Archives of institutions such as the Russian State Literature and Art Archive, Nâzım Hikmet Culture and Art Foundation, Moscow Nâzım Hikmet Culture and Art Foundation and Ara Güler Archive and Research Center were opened for the exhibition. The exhibition also includes Vera Tulyakova Hikmet's archive, works from the collector Gürkan Us, and selections from the works of Abidin Dino, Avni Arbaş, Doris Kahane, Natalya Gonçarova and Jak İhmalyan. Some of Nâzım Hikmet's own paintings and the work Sedat Girgin prepared specially for the exhibition are also on display for visitors. The exhibition also includes a replica of Nâzım Hikmet's study room, which contains his personal belongings.
