Galatea Art was founded in 1997 by Ali Şahinler in memory of the actor Ayton Sert, who started his career in the late yeşilçam era, and painter Sarkis Günsel. The gallery’s cosy space, housed in a converted apartment in the backstreets of Tünel in Beyoğlu, hosts occasional exhibitions and also runs the odd cultural course or workshop. There’s also an in-house photography studio that can be rented by artists.

These days, the gallery is administered by five art lovers, which includes Şahinler and Sadık Demiröz, who is himself an established photographer.