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"I've always believed in multidisciplinary approaches to fuel a creative mind, which was a new way of thinking in early 90s. My solution was to combine all of my strengths. I started curating exhibitions of my private Ottoman art collection. They were the first of their kind in Turkey, a totally new concept," says Gülgün of his clear ambitions early on.
After earning his masters in Islamic art from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, Serdar Gülgün knew he didn't want to be confined to just one role in the Ottoman art world; he wanted to transform the field as a unique triple-threat: academician, collector and designer.
Starting in 1992, Gülgün organized seven pioneering exhibitions. The inaugural exhibition was held at Dolmabahce Palace, followed by six more in Topkapı Palace. Organized around specialized, unprecedented themes, these exhibitions spearheaded a cultural reawakening in long-dormant Ottoman art.
-Ottoman Calligraphy (1993)
-Passion in Ottoman Embroideries (1994)
-Flowers in Ottoman Art (1995)
-Ottoman Imperial Tables (1996)
-Exercises of Calligraphers (1997)
-Genealogies of Ottoman Sufi Sects (1998)
-A Celebration of Seven Centuries of Ottoman Art (1999)