Ankara exhibition revisits the young Turkish Republic’s capital

An exhibition in Ankara looks back at the city in the first years of the Turkish Republic. Prepared by the Russian House in Ankara and a cultural diplomacy association, it pairs archival film with paintings by Yevgeny Lanceray.

The exhibition “Memory of a Capital: Ankara in the First Years of the Turkish Republic” opened on Oct. 17 at the Ankara State Fine Arts Gallery, part of Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The project was prepared by the Russian House in Ankara and the Association for Cultural Diplomacy and Cooperation.

The show combines historical newsreel footage with works by Russian artist Yevgeny Lanceray, who came to Ankara in the early 1920s. His paintings and the archival film let visitors follow how the city was transformed as the Republic took shape.

Guests by works of Yevgeny Lanceray at the exhibition