Istanbul–London: A Conversation in Painting

Coinciding with the 18th Istanbul Biennial and the 20th edition of Contemporary Istanbul, Istanbul–London: A Conversation in Painting brought together two painters — Megan Baker (London) and Seda Dokumacı (Istanbul – in celebration of the creative bridge connecting these two cities.

Hosted by Teaspoon Projects and Gillian Jason Gallery, the evening explored painting as a language that transcends geography – one that continues to hold space for emotion, memory, and time.

Moderated by Gigi, the conversation unfolded around gesture, process, and the enduring resonance of painting in a fast-paced world. While Baker’s luminous abstractions evoke the movement of wind, the cycles of nature, and the fluidity of time, Dokumacı’s striking black-and-white portraits reveal presence through absence – images carved, scratched, and unearthed from their own surfaces.

Together, their practices formed a dialogue of contrasts: one layering colour, the other removing it; one guided by rhythm and atmosphere, the other by empathy and introspection. Yet both share a profound sensitivity to the traces we leave behind — to what is hidden, revealed, and remembered.

The evening reflected the growing synergy between Istanbul and London’s art worlds – a connection shaped by shared curiosity, collaboration, and the belief that painting remains one of the most direct ways to speak of the human experience.

‘Tonight reminded us that painting is both timeless and timely – a meeting point between memory and imagination, between what we see and what we feel.’