As part of the support Serhat Saat gives to innovative and original projects, we are delighted to have contributed to the exhibition "Pre-Truth" (Hakikat Öncesi) by Ayşegül İzer, which opened at Red Rouge Art Gallery in Teşvikiye. Through Dice Kayek Timepieces, the watch brand within our group, we focus on taking time beyond something that is merely measured and turning it into an artistic experience. That is why, by taking part in this exhibition, which brings together nature, fairy tales and environmental awareness, we reinforce through art our brand's approach of looking at the idea of "time" from an original point of view.
The exhibition took place at Red Rouge Art Gallery in Teşvikiye in February 2025 and closed on 22 February 2025. This article remains published as a record of the bond the brand has formed with the world of art.
Environmental awareness in a fairy-tale narrative
In her works, Ayşegül İzer brings natural elements such as seashells, fish, stones and plants to the fore, offering visitors a visual world that is both profound and striking through her vivid colours and layered storytelling. In these paintings, where fairy-tale elements and allegorical themes are clearly felt, it is possible to trace the inspirations the artist has gathered since childhood. The fables of La Fontaine and Andersen, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and works such as Miyazaki's "My Neighbour Totoro" form a rich store of material in the artist's imagination. Yet behind this fairy-tale world, one can also see the artist drawing attention to current and pressing matters such as environmental pollution and industrial waste. Even though visitors may feel they are wandering through an innocent, colourful universe, in the subtle layers of the works they can clearly sense a call to protect nature and to leave a cleaner world to future generations.
An innovative approach to the idea of time
One of the most striking aspects of the "Pre-Truth" exhibition by Ayşegül İzer is its approach to the concept of time. Following the lines of Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, "Neither am I within time / Nor wholly outside it", these works reflect time not as a linear flow but as a layered, timeless experience. This approach resonates with what we do at Dice Kayek Timepieces: with designs that interpret time freely, we carry the watch beyond a matter of pure function and unite it with aesthetics. For the meanings the hour has carried across cultures, see our article on the meanings of hours, and for our design principles, our about us page.
Because the placement of the works and the transitions between compositions have been arranged as carefully as the planning of a city, those who walk through the exhibition progress layer by layer, encountering different emotions and ideas along the way. Each painting prepares the viewer for the next and gradually transforms the perception of time.
Family heritage and an artistic journey
The artist's family heritage also lends the "Pre-Truth" exhibition a particular depth. The granddaughter of Zeki Faik İzer, a significant figure in Turkish art, Ayşegül İzer has formed an original style by combining an inherited artistic tradition with the books she has read, the films she has watched and the tales that have left their mark on her since childhood. In earlier exhibitions held in İstanbul, Germany and Canada, İzer treated themes of nature, the human inner world and environmental concerns with the same care; in "Pre-Truth" she adds subjects such as environmental pollution and industrial waste to the underlying layers of the painting, underlining the current and universal importance of these themes. The depictions of clocks and watches in the exhibition both reinforce the artist's questioning of time and make an artistic reference to the Dice Kayek Timepieces philosophy of "capturing time".
What remains of the exhibition
On view at Red Rouge Art Gallery in Teşvikiye until 22 February 2025, the "Pre-Truth" exhibition brought together the colourful face of nature with the reality of environmental damage, and the magic of fairy tales with the idea of time's elasticity. The symbols, allegories and vivid colours within the works offered visitors not only a visual feast but also an invitation to a journey of thought.
At Serhat Saat, we were pleased to be part of this exhibition, which drew attention both in our own country and on international platforms. Bringing together many elements, from fairy-tale motifs to environmental awareness and from family heritage to the idea of timelessness, the "Pre-Truth" exhibition stands out as one of the most original examples of contemporary art. Our Romana collection, carrying the classical language of time with its Roman numeral dials, and our Lumina collection, with its stone-set dials that play with light, are the same question answered on the wrist: is time merely something measured, or an experience one carries?
About this article
Prepared by: Dice Kayek Timepieces Editorial Team · First published: 12 February 2025 · Last updated: 22 September 2026
This is an arts and culture article; the exhibition details are based on the event supported by Serhat Saat and on the gallery's public announcements. The artist's works and interpretations belong to the artist.
Related: About us · The meanings of hours
