INSPIRED BY CYBELE, THE SYMBOL OF FEMALE PRODUCTIVITY

The "Cybele" Ceramic Exhibition, prepared by students of the Ceramics and Glass Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dokuz Eylül University and inspired by Cybele, the main goddess figure of Anatolia, opened to visitors at the İzmir Yeşilova Mound Visitor Center between March 6-28, 2026.

ASSOC. PROF. M. CANDAN GÜNGÖR

As is known, in the matriarchal order of the first human societies, 'woman' deserved to be the symbol of productivity both by giving birth and by producing agricultural products and essential goods needed by society. Respected in society and believed to possess supernatural powers, women played a role in the concretization of the worship element in the female figure in Anatolian civilizations with matriarchal societies. Therefore, Anatolian lands are quite rich in terms of the production of Mother Goddess figures.

The exhibition titled "Cybele," which addresses the concepts of female identity, production, and productivity through new perspectives and contemporary ceramic interpretations, met with art lovers as part of the March 8th International Women's Day celebrations. Associate Professor Dr. Zafer Derin, the head of the Yeşilova Mound Excavation, who hosted the exhibition, also supported it, strengthening this deep connection between archaeology and art.

The exhibition, curated by Assoc. Prof. Ali Temel Köseler, features works by Belgin Solmaz, Beren Su Kurağı, Binnur Okkan, Deniz Akdemir, Derya Kaplan, Duygu Ballı, Ece Keltek, Emine Gümüşoğlu, Elif Yatkın, Eren Aslan Gözüyaşlı, Esra Özmen, Filiz Avcıoğlu, Funda Sürücü, Gamze Çerçi, Gökçe Bavli, Gülnu Koran, Haticenur Akgün, İlayda Oğur Akkalan, İrem Sultan Karabulut, Mert Tunalı, Nazlı Nur Ekin, Neriman Yenice, Özgül Duran, Pelin Gökçen, Ramazan Kahraman, Rumeysa Cop, Sıla Dadakdeniz, Şevval Naz Köken, Şilan Bayram, Tuğçe Arık, Tuğçe Makarnacı, Yağız Kaan Bozan, and Zeynep Şen.