Exhibitions

Spirit of Peace by Pesimo (May 2022)

In May 2022, Root Karaköy welcomed Peruvian urban artist Pesimo as an artist-in-residence, curated by Pınar Goodstone. The project was born from a chance encounter in Lima, Peru, where Pınar first saw Pesimo’s powerful murals especially his portrayal of women as mythic and sovereign. Struck by the shared values of social justice and symbolic storytelling, she reached out to the artist. Over coffee and long conversations, the vision for Spirit of Peace was born. Root extended an invitation, and soon after, Pesimo arrived in Istanbul with his assistants Erika Patricia Barrantes Toro and Francyne Alvarez to bring the vision to life.

Spirit of Peace Volume II – NFT Group Show

(Aug 2022)

Launched as a continuation of Root’s commitment to peace and cultural dialogue, Spirit of Peace Volume II was born from the momentum of Pesimo’s residency and mural in 2022. This digital group exhibition Curated by Pınar Goodstone, held in August 2022, asked a vital question: “How do we manifest peace?” Amidst global uncertainty and upheaval, the exhibition brought together artists from around the world to envision a world beyond borders one shaped by empathy, justice, and imagination.

Gaze by Nilgün Gümüş (2022)

Over the course of several months, curator Pinar Goodstone and artist Nilgün Gümüş worked in close collaboration to bring gaze to life a striking collection of portraits dedicated to the resilience, intellect, and inner world of women. Painted in silence, often late into the night, these works are both deeply intimate and universally resonant, conjuring themes of rebirth, justice, memory, and reflection.

Open Closet by Skuja Braden (June – Aug 2023)

Open Closet marked the first-ever exhibition in Turkey by the internationally acclaimed artist duo Skuja Braden—a long-standing collaboration between Ingūna Skuja (Latvia) and Melissa Braden (USA). Curator Pınar Goodstone first encountered their boundary-breaking ceramic universe at the Latvian Pavilion of the Venice Biennial in 2022 and was so struck by its emotional and formal intensity that she reached out immediately. What followed was a yearlong collaboration across borders, culminating in this Istanbul debut. The show not only challenged conventional forms and materials but also presented a dreamlike cosmos where East and West, myth and reality, gender and fluidity coexisted in bold, sensuous balance.

Abstract Acceleration by Onur Alakay

(Nov 2023 – Jan 2024)

Onur Alakay invites us into a visual symphony of abstract, pop, and cubist-inspired forms that explore the delicate tension between chaos and order. Curated by Pınar Goodstone, the exhibition transforms Root Karaköy into an immersive landscape where personal and cosmic narratives collide where canvases become portals into micro and macro dimensions of the human experience.

Silken Wonders by Kinga Foldi Curated by Pinar Goodstone Istanbul, April to September 2024

Amid the rolling hills of Tuscany at the La Macina de San Cresci Art Residency, a creative dialogue began between artist Kinga Foldi and curator Pinar Goodstone. Captivated by the tactile poetry of Foldi’s silk sculptures, Goodstone initiated what would become a long-distance collaboration, culminating in Foldi’s first exhibition in Istanbul a city historically rooted in the Silk Road, where East and West converge.

Leo Lunatic’s Crow – Permanent Installation (2025)

Sub Karaköy, a hotel where art is embedded in the very architecture, became the canvas for one of Istanbul’s most celebrated street artists, Leo Lunatic. Curated by Pınar Goodstone, this site-specific installation features a glowing, abstract crow - Sub’s symbolic guardian - brought to life in collaboration with fellow artist Gazi. The piece blends street culture with poetic symbolism, capturing the essence of Sub: bold, layered, and deeply tied to the city’s soul. In addition to the interior work, Leo also created Sub’s exterior façade - an expansive neon graffiti piece that comes alive at night, casting a radiant glow over Karaköy.

Aaron “Sharp” Goodstone’s Abstract Techno Symbolism

In January 2025, legendary New York graffiti artist Aaron “Sharp” Goodstone joined Sub Hotel as an artist-in-residence, creating three original canvas works exclusively for the hotel—two of which now hang in the lobby of Sub, and one at Root Karaköy. Known for his distinctive style, Abstract Techno Symbolism, Sharp fuses alphabetic forms, ancient glyphs, and cosmic imagery into a visual language that is both futuristic and ancestral. His work connects the intensity of 1980s New York street art with philosophical, urban poetics.