Founded by Kerim Suner, 1851.gallery focuses on analog production in today's world, where digital art production techniques have increased significantly. Featuring prominently the works of photographers using historical and handmade techniques, the gallery is partners with 1851.studio, where Kerim Suner has been carrying his artistic and scientific work in this field since 2016.
Coming from a family that has established one of Turkey's earliest art galleries Galeri Lebriz, and having founded Turkey's first art portal lebriz.com, Kerim Suner brings his years of knowledge and experience to a new level with 1851.gallery.
Our Team
Born in 1967, he has been a passionate photographer for many years besides his computer engineering career. He is extensively working with historic photographic processes in his studio in Istanbul.
As the only son of a computer engineer and a gallerist, in 2000 he combined both his parent's professions and founded Turkey's first art portal lebriz.com, which currently hosts over half a million works of over ten thousand artists.
Hande Varsat
Having completed her undergraduate studies in Visual Arts at Sabancı University and her postgraduate studies in Artistic Production at Valencia Polytechnic University, she obtained her Pedagogical Proficiency in Visual Arts from Marmara University. She shaped her art with a critical perspective on the social status of Turkish women in the face of tradition. Besides her solo exhibitions titled Ever-Laden at Gallery Apel (Istanbul, 2012) and Tradition's Triangle at El Punto del Carmen (Valencia, 2010), she participated in group exhibitions and biennials in countries such as Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Greece. In 2016, she fortunately crossed paths with Kerim and has been a part of 1851.studio ever since.
Duygu Duymazlar
She completed her study in French Language and Literature at Hacettepe University and Aix-Marseille University. From managing grant projects at Mug Engineering to pioneering the hostel scene in Istanbul with Hush Hostels, she has had the opportunity to explore different fields in her career. After five years in the fast-paced world of tech support at Apple, she found her calling in the creative, analog atmosphere of 1851.studio.
Gülsen Öner Güvendir - Administration
She completed her undergraduate studies in Economics at Anadolu University and her graduate studies in International Financial Reporting and Auditing at Nişantaşı University. She obtained her Certified Public Accountant license in 2019. Having started her 27-year career at Haytek in 1998 with Haksever Suner, the father of the Suner family, she now continues this journey at 1851.studio with the family's son, Kerim Suner.
Hava Kablan Günay - International Representative
She graduated from the Faculty of Sciences and Letters at Istanbul University in 2000. In the same year, she began working at Turkey’s first art portal lebriz.com. Over the next decade, she lead the participation of lebriz.com at Contemporary Istanbul and ARTIST art fairs.
She worked for 23 years as the Customer Relations Manager at lebriz.com, managing relationships with galleries, auction houses, artists, and collectors.
She gained extensive experience in Turkey’s art market since 2000. Additionally, she earned a master’s degree from the Faculty of Art and Design at Istanbul Kültür University in 2015, with a thesis titled "The Use of Art Activities in the Positioning of Luxury Brands." She has been living in Edinburgh since 2020.