2nd International Ex-libris Congress

The Art of Ex Libris Comes to Life in the Heart of Istanbul.

The 6th International Ex Libris Competition and 2nd International Ex Libris Congress, organised in collaboration with İstinye University, Selçuk Ecza Deposu, Bozlu Art Project and the Istanbul Ex Libris Association, and hosted by İstinye University, took place at the Vadi H Campus. The 6th International Ex Libris Competition saw the participation of 541 artists from 34 countries, submitting 1,343 ex libris. At the end of the evaluation, 15 Awards, 14 Honourable Mentions and 28 Certificates of Honour were presented. The exhibition featured 238 original ex libris.

The First Prize of İstinye University was unanimously awarded to the master Russian artist Mikhail Verkholantsev, whose works were found to be original and persuasive in their personal style. The Second Prize of Selçuk Ecza Deposu was awarded to the Bulgarian artist Onnik Karanfilian for his engraved ex-libris featuring powerful designs. The Third Prize from Bozlu Art Project was awarded to Bulgarian artist Marin Gruev for his ex libris filled with fine details. The Istanbul Ex Libris Association Young Artist Award was deemed appropriate for Emre İnan, a promising young artist specialising in printmaking. The Medical Park Special Award went to Igor Baranov (France), the AveA Health Special Award to Ivo Mosele (Italy), the Liv Hospital Special Award to Christine Deboosere (Belgium), the Glana Cosmetics Special Award to Valerio Mezzetti (Italy), The Tülay-Şükrü Ertürk Special Award went to Wang Yu (China), the Ayşe-Noyan Ünal Special Award to Martin R. Baeyens (Belgium), the Ayfer-Zeki Tutkan Special Award to Gennady Vial (Belarus), the Özden Pektaş Turgut Special Award to Elzbieta Radzikowska (Poland), Gülcan-Salih Apaydın Special Award to Yulia Protsyshyn (Ukraine), Hatice-Hasip Pektaş Special Award to Julieta Virginia Warman (Argentina), Can Pektaş Special Award to Konstantin Kalynovych (Ukraine).

It is hoped that this international exhibition will bring excitement to the world of ex-libris, inspire young people interested in ex-libris in particular, and contribute to the spread of this art form. The competition exhibition can be viewed at İstinye University’s Vadi H Campus until 22 September 2025.

The Meeting Point of Culture and Art

Over 50 artists from Argentina, Russia, Bulgaria, China, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Belgium and Turkey participated in the 2nd International Ex Libris Congress. At the congress, held at İstinye University’s Vadi H Campus, artists exchanged ex-libris, took new ex-libris orders, engaged in cultural exchange, and strengthened their friendships. As part of the congress, participants visited historical sites in Istanbul, took a Bosphorus tour, visited the Istanbul Ex-Libris Museum, and attended a Gala Dinner.

The conference and competition were organised under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Hasip Pektaş, Faculty Member at the Faculty of Communication at İstinye University, President of the Istanbul Ex Libris Association, and Director of the Istanbul Ex Libris Museum. In his opening speech, Pektaş shared the following information: “We have held six international competitions, organised two international congresses, and opened ex-libris exhibitions in 15 cities and eight different countries. We established the Istanbul Ex-Libris Museum within the Selçuk Ecza Deposu, one of ten museums in the world. These are things to be proud of for our country. The fact that ex libris is taught as a course at seven universities, including İstinye University, and that 29 postgraduate theses have been written on ex libris is also an indication of the interest in this field.”

Rector Prof. Dr. Erkan İbiş emphasised the importance of art in his speech: “As we examine the art of ex-libris, we see that it is not just a calling card; it is a living art that reflects an understanding of society, culture and life. As a university, we continue to pursue our vision of being an institution that not only protects and promotes science and research, but also art. Here, we are delighted to share art and culture with participants from different countries. In the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, we must attach greater importance to art than ever before in order to raise generations that are free in thought, free in knowledge, and free in conscience.”

Prof. Dr. Erkan İbiş thanked all stakeholders for their support of the arts and continued: “If a society is deprived of art, it is as if one of its arteries has been severed. We continue our efforts to support art and artists. We would like to thank M. Sonay Gürgen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Selçuk Ecza Deposu, Dr. Şükrü Bozluolcay, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bozlu Holding, and Adem Elbaşı, President of our Centennial Group, for their support during this process. We are grateful to all our artists, academics, guests, and partners for their efforts.”

Impressions of Ex-libris 2025 / Ekslibris 2025 İzlenimleri

Thank you all for your friendliness, kindness, cooperation and new experience of communication! I wish you all happiness, good luck, prosperity and 100 years of creative life!

Special thanks to Hasip Pektaş, Hatice and Can as a family of artists, curators of the congress. A lot of work was done, Good luck and happiness to your family! Marziya Zhaksygarına (Kazakhstan)

Hasip, you did as always great job! Thank you for all you did for us to feel wonderful. See you all next year in Varna! Onnik Karanfilian (Bulgaria)

Dear Hasip, As always, the organisation was perfect, but most of all it was a a warm be together with you, Hatice, Can and Martin. This was a congres with a soul.

Christine Deboosere (Belgium) and Johan Bosschem (Belgium)

2nd International Ex-Libris Congress, Competition and Exhibition Istanbul, August 2025, perfectly organized by Prof. Hasip Pektas, as always! (y)

— Through the eyes of Bai Marin and Yani Security Group

Greetings to all old and new friends – to those who were there and to those who couldn’t make it. Long live the Ex-libris! And until we meet again! Marin Gruev (Bulgaria)

2nd INTERNATIONAL EXLIBRIS CONGRESS // ISTANBUL 2025. Turkey

Part 1) I am very happy and grateful to have been able to participate in the Congress of EX LIBRIS in Istanbul. August 20th to 23rd / 2025.

Organized by Professor Hasip Pektas and his great team from İstinye University Vadi H Campus in Istanbul. Share all day together with Recording Artists, Ex-librarians, Collectors, and now friends, on this beautiful path of Ex Libris. I am very grateful to my loved ones who have always supported me and grateful to life ⭐ Julieta Warman (Argentina)

Yesterday, 23.08.2025, was a very busy day. In the morning we gathered at İstinye Üniversitesi Vadi H Yerleşkesi, from there we went on a tour of the Bosphorus. It was fantastically beautiful. After the Bosphorus, we visited the Istanbul Ex-Libris Museum, where we saw a collection of ex-librises of famous artists of the world. And again we talked about the art of ex-libris. Before the Gala Dinner, we were shown an exhibition of ex-libris dedicated to the theme of “Medicine”. The artists, who came from different countries, became close friends during these few days of the 2nd International Congress in Istanbul and did not want to part. Until next time, friends! Good luck to you always! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ Marziya Zhaksygarına (Kazakhstan)

Emily Hung ve Ying Zhou…Kongreye Hong Kong’dan gelmişler…çok şeker, çok nazik ve çok kibar iki genç sanatçı…önceki gün yoktular, İstanbul’u gezmişler, onlarla dün exlibris değişimi yapabildim…çok kedi severler, kedi çalışmamı almak istediler ama (biraz anlatınca) her ikisi de Çatalhöyük serisinden olan iki exlibrisimi aldılar…

“İstanbul’u sevdiniz mi?” diye sordum..

“Evet, çok” diye cevapladı Emily..

“Çok büyük, kalabalık ve gürültülü.” dedim..

“Evet ama tarihi var…yeni şehirleri sevmiyorum.” dedi..

Ve bana şöyle yazdı…’ Ne güzel…birbirimizden bu kadar uzak mesafelerdeyiz ama aynı kadim sanatı seviyoruz…❤️ Exlibris Kongreleri hayatımıza bu güzellikleri de katıyor işte… Canan Bilge (Türkiye)

Fulfilling another dream which is a great gift for my half century of life! Participate in the Congress of EX LIBRIS in Istanbul, travel on the same August 18th day of my birthday, be received with affection and kindness. another gift, which I thank life, my mother, my family and partner, my friends who helped and supported me so much to realize this nice madness! thanks

Thank you very much Hasip Pektas , your students and family for all the kindness! Julieta Warman (Argentina

Sevgili Canlar,

Doğrusunu isterseniz, en keyif aldığım Ex Libris buluşması bu oldu. Yani 2. Uluslararası İstanbul Kongresi, Yarışmalı Sergisi. Sıcak karşılaşmalar, samimi sohbetler ve ertesi sabah, erken saatte sanki Akademiye gelir gibi dört gün sevimli bir heyecan yaşadık. Başarılı, büyük organizasyon için, Teşekkürler Hasip hocam. Ahmet Selçuk Kızılışık (Türkiye)

Award Ceremony of the 6th INTERNATIONAL EX LIBRIS COPETITION – EXHIBITION- ISTAMBUL 2025. 22 August 2025. Istinye University, Vadi H Cam.

Very happy and honoured to have gone to receive my Ex Libris Special Award in the framework of the “2nd INTERNATIONAL EX LIBRIS CONGRESS – ISTANBUL 2025″.

A little bit of what the Award Ceremony was like, where the Dean of the University opened the ceremony and then Professor Hasip Pektas honoured us with a magnificent dance ceremony, truly very special, with the presence of many of the award winners.

I want to thank Hasip Pektas and Hatice Öz Pektaş for their kindness and perfecciòn in organizing together with the University team.

Congratulations to all the selected and awarded, a huge pleasure to meet you!

It was a dream come true to have been able to go and participate. And it’s very enriching to be able to share and meet artists from different parts of the world. It’s something that I’m grateful to Ex Libris and the Engrabado, who have given me the opportunity.

Full of gratitude ⭐ Julieta Warman (Argentina)

Dear Hasip, I am extremely delighted to have met you at the Istanbul Conference. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you, your family, and your team for the tremendous efforts you put into making the conference a great success. From the meticulous preparation to the on – site services, we deeply felt your dedication and enthusiasm, which made the whole conference extremely warm.

Although I didn’t exchange many works at this conference, I still feel very happy and satisfied with this experience. Here, I not only reunited with old friends I haven’t seen for a long time, but also got to know several friendly and enthusiastic Turkish friends, including you. Your kindness has given me a special affection for this city. After the conference, we stayed in Istanbul for a few days. We not only tasted the local delicious food, but also purchased some regional – characteristic items such as porcelain plates, carpets, and coffee. During our strolls, we truly felt the profound cultural heritage and unique historical and humanistic charm of Turkey.

In addition, I am particularly grateful to you for generously giving me several of your works. Each piece is full of your sincere feelings, and I cherish them very much. Here, I have a small request: if you have time, I hope to invite you to create a work with the theme of “Man and Pet”. If it can be achieved, I will be extremely grateful.

Enclosed are the photos I took of you during the conference. I hope these images can preserve this beautiful memory for us. At the same time, I would like to trouble you to share the photos you took of us during the conference with me. Thank you for your help. By the way, among the works you gave me, there is one whose author information I haven’t been able to find out. If you know, I hope you can tell me.

Finally, I sincerely invite you and your family to travel to China when it is convenient for you. If you have such a plan, please let me know in advance. In particular, I hope to have the opportunity to invite you to visit Dalian, our city, and show you the unique scenery and human – cultural atmosphere of this coastal city.

Wish you and your family good health, a smooth life, and all the best! Best regards,

Wang Ying (China)

Sevgili Hasip, İstanbul’daki harika karşılama için sana bir kez daha teşekkür etmek istiyorum!

Unutulmaz bir üç gündü! Bu exlibris festivalinin bir parçası olmak benim için bir zevkti!

Kongre en yüksek standartlarda organize edildi. Size ve ailenize sağlık diliyorum.

Nezaketiniz ve cömertliğiniz için teşekkür ederiz!

Tekrar görüşmek dileğiyle! Yaroslav Makarov (Russia)