NEW YORK, NY.- Curator Lara Bayer presents Metropoli, a group exhibition opening on April 17, 2025, and running through May 1, 2025, at The Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in New York.

Derived from the ancient Greek words mētēr (mother) and pólis (city), Metropoli evokes both a place of origin and a site of cultural confluence. The exhibition explores how two imperial capitals—separated by more than a millennium—Istanbul and New York, embody both historical and contemporary notions of a metropolis.

Metropoli navigates a shared, multilayered temporality and ethnocultural complexity. New York—renowned for its modernity, innovation, commerce, and culture—drives forward as a global cultural and economic epicenter. Meanwhile, Istanbul, with a far longer historical trajectory, has already played that role multiple times over, manifesting as both a former and potential future seat of the empire.

Metropoli highlights how each city negotiates the tensions and energies inherent in being a global crossroads, carrying the weight of accumulated history, the inevitability of transformation—both welcome and unwelcome—and the legacies of empire.

Based between Istanbul and New York, curator Lara Bayer developed Metropoli to spotlight and document how artists in both cities interpret urban life. “Metropoli invites viewers to engage with the exhibition and their environment as sites of reflection, where the architectural footprints of the past converge with contemporary energy to question, provoke, and inspire,” explains Bayer. The exhibition encourages visitors to extend these reflections beyond their immediate surroundings and to situate them within a broader global context.


Leasho Johnson, Sound turns to mid-morning and then the silence of noon, 2023. Charcoal, watercolors, distemper, logwood dye, oil, collage, and gesso on paper mounted on canvas, 67.5 x 52 x 1.72 in.


Featuring ten international artists—Ali Bilge Akkaya, Çiğdem Aky, Logan Criley, Jordan Doner, Sedef Gali, Nick Hobbs, Leasho Johnson, Hasan Kale, Murat Palta, and Çağla Ulusoy.—this exhibition highlights how environments act as catalysts for personal and societal change, forging connections and redefining identities within a global context.

Encompassing The Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye, New York City, Istanbul, and our world, Metropoli offers a renewed perspective on the enduring power of place—investigating how history and modernity coexist in contemporary topography, and prompting visitors to consider the infinite ways in which we adapt, innovate, and find belonging in the cities we call home.

Metropoli is made possible with the generous support of Turkish Airlines.


Murat Palta, Totally Legit, 2023. Fine Art Print, 43.3 x 30.7 in.

Lara Bayer is a New York City-based curator, art advisor, and dealer with a Master’s in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Her practice spans curatorial projects, advisory work, and collector engagement, bridging the gap between artists, collectors, and cultural spaces. She co-founded the Emerging Collectors Series, fostering connections through curated exhibitions, private gallery tours, and studio visits. Her upcoming exhibition, Metropoli, at The Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in New York, will feature international artists exploring the evolving identities of Istanbul and New York. In her advisory work, she helps collectors thoughtfully expand their collections while partnering with galleries and artists to place artworks. Committed to expanding access to art and fostering cross-cultural dialogue, she creates opportunities for discovery and engagement across the art world.