An individual exhibition titled “Memory of the City” by Azerbaijani artist Elchin Mustafayev, a lecturer at the Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture (Painting Department) of Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University, was held in Istanbul, Türkiye.
The exhibition took place at Hasan Sarıtaş Gallery.
The opening ceremony was attended by Azerbaijan’s Honored Artists Teymur Rzayev and Yaşar Zeynalov, Azerbaijan’s People’s Artist and balaban performer Alikhan Samedov, Honored Artist Islam Manafov, as well as advisor to the chairman of the Turkey-Azerbaijan Associations Federation, Parviz Mammadzadeh, and other public figures.
Dedicated to the nights of Istanbul, the exhibition highlights the idea that the city is not only a physical space but also a multilayered carrier of collective memory. In the artist’s works, light is presented not merely as a visual element but as a key medium expressing memory itself. The silhouette of the night city combines traces of personal and collective memories. At the same time, architectural elements in the works—walls, towers, and the coastline—symbolize historical continuity and emphasize the subtle transition between the modern urban environment and the past.
The exhibition will continue until May 11.