“Your Thursday” Artist Meetings: Conversation with Işık Güner: From Observation to Plant Drawing

“Your Thursday” Artist Meetings

Istanbul Modern opens its doors free of charge on museum days called “Your Thursday” with the sponsorship of Paribu. Every Thursday, between 10.00 and 14.00, the museum welcomes all its visitors residing in Türkiye with free admission. Visitors can explore all the exhibitions at Istanbul Modern and participate in artist workshops, events, and film screenings held once a month.

“Your Thursday” Artist Meetings include workshop sessions and discussions where artists share their creative processes and artistic experiences with participants. Through these activities, Istanbul Modern invites visitors to discover the museum, artworks, and artistic production processes, while allowing them to enrich their experience by creating together with artists.

Conversation with Işık Güner: From Observation to Plant Drawing

Led by botanical artist Işık Güner, the program explores the process of transforming the observation of a plant into a painting, using the sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) as an example. During the workshop, participants have the opportunity to closely observe the artist’s process at her worktable, including a live watercolor demonstration.

Guiding participants step by step through a process that begins with live plants and herbarium specimens and continues through sketches, paper, paints, and completed works, Güner discusses the materials she uses, her methods for observing plants, her approach to color and detail, and the relationship between scientific accuracy and artistic interpretation in botanical painting.

The program also offers participants the opportunity to examine the artist’s materials up close. In doing so, they discover the fundamental tools and methods of botanical painting while gaining firsthand insight into the making of a botanical illustration.

Date: September 10, 2026

Time: 13.00–15.00

Venue: Istanbul Modern Event Room 2

Duration: 120 mins

The event is free of charge

The program is held in Turkish.