‘Roots: Once Upon a Time in Anatolia’ – Ayşen Baloğlu’s Debut Solo Exhibition Opens in Ankara, Turkey!

The Cartoon Workshop (Karikatür Atölyesi) in Ankara is proud to host ‘Roots: Once Upon a Time in Anatolia’, the first solo exhibition by artist Ayşen Baloğlu. This evocative collection invites viewers to explore the multi-layered history, memory, and cultural traces of Anatolia.

About the Exhibition

Ayşen Baloğlu seamlessly blends her background in Archaeology and Prehistory with decades of experience in cartooning, illustration, and graphic design. In this exhibition, she transforms these diverse disciplines into a unique visual language, establishing a poetic and intellectual bridge between the ancient past and the modern world.

The featured works draw inspiration from the timeless stories, myths, and people of Anatolia. Baloğlu offers a contemporary interpretation of memory and origins, presenting a selection of limited-edition, hand-signed digital illustrations. It is not just an art display, but a journey through both personal and collective cultural heritage.

Event Details

If you are in Turkey, don’t miss the opportunity to witness this silent dialogue with history through the eyes of a contemporary artist.

• Opening Reception: Friday, April 3rd
• Time: 19:30
• Venue: Karikatür Atölyesi
• Address: Üsküp Caddesi 19/a Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey

All art enthusiasts and culture seekers are cordially invited to experience this unique re-reading of the past.

Ayşen Baloğlu was born in 1972 in Bakırköy, Istanbul. She completed her studies in 1997 at the
Department of Archaeology and Art History, Division of Prehistory, at Istanbul University.
During her university years, she began drawing cartoons for humor magazines. Her first cartoons
were published in Leman Humor Magazine in 1991. Later, her cartoons and comics appeared in
Pişmiş Kelle, HBR Maymun, Avni, Şebek, Bayan Yanı Humor Magazines, and Ters Dergi Humor
Magazine.

Her first illustrations were published in PC World and Pazartesi Magazines. Her cartoons,
illustrations, and graphic works were also published in the newspapers Sabah, Yeni Yüzyıl, Ateş,
Radikal, Posta and Cumhuriyet and their supplements, as well as in İntermedya Ekonomi, Makro
Ekonomi, E Edebiyat, Gezegen Çocuk, and Bakırköy Life Magazines and in Muzır Neşriyat.
She created cover designs and illustrations for many books published by Cumhuriyet Kitapları
Publishing.

The first three books of Şirin Şekerpare, the children’s humor series that she wrote and
illustrated, titled ‘I’m Done For!’, ‘Long Live Our School!’, and ‘The Digital Witch’, were
published by Yitik Ülke Publishing in 2020. The fourth book in the series, ‘How to Draw
Cartoons?’, was published in 2021.

Her cartoons, paintings, and illustrations have been featured in various group exhibitions. Her
NFT works have been included in collections both in Turkey and abroad.

‘Kökler: Once Upon a Time in Anatolia’ is the artist’s first solo exhibition.