Botanical Art Worldwide 2025
Türkiye
Anatolian Plant Legacy
About the exhibition
Botanical Art Worldwide 2025: Anatolian Plant Legacy presents an in-depth exploration of Anatolia’s extraordinary botanical wealth, intertwining the disciplines of art and science. Organized by the Botanical Art Committee (BIRET) under the Flora Research Association, this exhibition is part of the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) international program. It brings together approximately 80 botanical illustrations created by Türkiye’s most distinguished botanical artists, accompanied by herbarium specimens, archival materials, and rare publications.
Anatolia: A Center of Biodiversity and Cultural Heritage
With over 11,000 plant species, Türkiye is one of the world’s most significant biodiversity hotspots. This exhibition highlights the critical role of native plant species in maintaining food security and sustainable agriculture, particularly as climate change and industrial farming pose increasing threats to global ecosystems. By showcasing Anatolia’s diverse edible and useful plants, the exhibition draws attention to the diminishing variety of crops in modern agriculture and underscores the urgent need for conservation. Beyond their ecological importance, Anatolia’s native plant species are deeply embedded in the region’s cultural and agricultural history. Botanical art and science converge in this exhibition to illustrate how these plants are not only part of Türkiye’s biological diversity but also an integral component of its cultural heritage. Through this dual approach, Anatolian Plant Legacy emphasizes the essential role of preserving native flora, ensuring that future generations inherit both a rich environment and a sustainable food system.
Above: Vicia faba L., ©Elif Demirci
Mesopotamia: The Birthplace of Agriculture
A significant part of Anatolia’s botanical heritage is rooted in Mesopotamia, a region that has shaped the course of human civilization. Meaning "the land between two rivers" in Ancient Greek, Mesopotamia extends between the Tigris (Dicle) and Euphrates (Fırat) rivers, both originating in Türkiye. With its fertile lands and favorable climate, it has been home to some of the world’s earliest agricultural societies. It was in this region that some of today’s most fundamental crops, such as einkorn wheat, emmer wheat, hulled barley, peas, lentils, vetch, chickpeas, and flax, were first domesticated. This transition from hunting and gathering to settled farming communities laid the foundation for modern agriculture. The exhibition highlights how these ancient crops, cultivated for millennia, continue to hold immense value in ensuring food diversity and sustainability today.
Above: Hordeum vulgare L., Secale cereale var. cereale L., Triticum durum Desf., ©Nurcihan Kahraman
Türkiye: A Crossroads of Nature and Civilization
Situated at the intersection of two continents, Türkiye is home to three distinct phytogeographical regions, each contributing to its exceptional floral diversity. The country’s unique geological features, diverse soil types, and varying climates create an environment where wild and cultivated plant species thrive side by side. This ecological and agricultural diversity, shaped by thousands of years of human interaction, makes Türkiye a living laboratory for understanding plant adaptation, resilience, and the importance of biodiversity in modern times.
As Türkiye’s botanical artists, we are honored to capture and celebrate this remarkable heritage through our work. Botanical Art Worldwide 2025: Anatolian Plant Legacy invites visitors to rediscover the richness of Anatolia’s flora, gain insight into its historical and scientific significance, and reflect on the role of plant conservation in securing a sustainable future.
Above: Crataegus germanica (L.) Kuntze, ©Selda Özel
Organizers
Steering Committee
Deniz Bozok (Country Representative)
Prof. Dr. Ersin Karabacak, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University
Sema Niğdeli
organizing committee
Yasemin Ülgen (Curator)
Burçin Çıngay
Gülüm Bağcı
Eda Göknar (Activities Coordinator)
Ogün Demir (Technical Assistance), ANG Foundation Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanic Garden
Artistic jurors
Işık Güner
Assoc. Prof. Gülnur Ekşi Bona, İstanbul University - Cerrahpaşa
Hülya Korkmaz
Scientific jurors
Senior Biologist Burçin Çıngay, ANG Foundation Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanic Garden
Dr. Füsun Ertuğ, Washington University, St. Louis
Prof. Dr. Ersin Karabacak, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University
Senior Biologist Tuğrul Körüklü, Ankara University
Assoc. Prof. Barış Özüdoğru, Hacettepe University
Prof. Dr. Mecit Vural, Gazi University
dates
May 16 - August 17, 2025
Venue
Salt Beyoğlu, Kitchen
Founded by Garanti BBVA in 2011, Salt is a cultural institution that develops innovative programs such as exhibitions, publications, digital projects, talks, conferences, film screenings, performances, and workshops to create a free platform for encounters, research, and expression for its users and visitors. Salt explores intersections and interactions between various disciplines and focuses on art, architecture, design, and social and economic history. The institution supports the production of knowledge by fostering the dialogue between the past and the present while addressing contemporary culture through new approaches and interpretations.
Salt’s programs take place in its two buildings in Istanbul and online. Salt Beyoğlu on Istiklal Street comprises exhibition spaces, a Walk-in Cinema, a Kitchen, and a Winter Garden. Salt Galata on Bankalar Street in Karaköy houses Salt Research, a specialized library, the Salt Research Ferit F. Şahenk Hall for registered researchers, an Auditorium, exhibition and event spaces, as well as the Ottoman Bank Museum. Entrance to Salt and access to its programs are free of charge. Since 2013, Salt has been the only member of the European museum confederation L’Internationale from Türkiye.
Exhibition Location
İstiklal Street, 136 Beyoğlu, 34430, İstanbul / Türkiye.
https://saltonline.org/en/41/salt-beyoglu
https://maps.app.goo.gl/juaQd7qwmmjDzoSg9
more information
https://biret.flora.org.tr / https://biret.org
https://flora.org.tr/