Artist Cemal Toy's latest solo exhibition, "Water, Paper, Paint" ("Su, Kâğıt, Boya"), is on display at Black Light Gallery in Istanbul's Karaköy district through July 25.
Bringing together works created on handmade papers collected from different geographies, the exhibition explores the relationship between water, paper and pigment, highlighting the dialogue between the natural qualities of materials and the artist's intervention.
Material has long played a central role in Toy's artistic practice, serving not merely as a surface but as a key component in shaping meaning. Throughout his career, the artist has worked with a diverse range of materials, including papyrus, linen, Indian papers, specially crafted handmade surfaces and fragments of traditional Turkish kilims, transforming the picture plane into a layered space filled with memory and character.
"Traces of the City" ("Şehrin Izleri) – oil and mixed media on canvas by Cemal Toy. (Handout)
In "Water, Paper, Paint," Toy focuses on a particular encounter: the movement of water, the receptiveness of paper and the traces made visible through paint. The exhibited works reveal a delicate balance between the inherent nature of the material and the artist's creative gesture. Water flows, paper absorbs and paint gives voice, while the artwork emerges as a record of that interaction.
