Tabloyla

Tabloyla is a term used in Turkish art discourse to describe a narrative approach that uses sequences of paintings arranged as tableaux to tell stories. The word combines tablo (painting, tableau) with ile/yla meaning “with,” effectively translating to “with painting” or “by painting.” The concept centers on treating painting as a sequence-based medium capable of conveying temporal or thematic progression.

In practice, tabloyla involves presenting a series of connected canvases or panels that function as discrete tableaux within a single installation. Textual captions or wall labels may accompany the sequence, but the emphasis remains on the painterly surface and the ordering of images to create narration. The form often situates painting within a gallery setting that guides viewing through spatial choreography and pacing rather than single-object contemplation. Works described as tabloyla may be created specifically for the sequence or organized from existing canvases recontextualized to form a broader narrative.

Origins and reception: Tabloyla emerged in the Turkish contemporary-art scene in the 2010s as artists explored painting’s capacity to carry memory and story beyond a single composition. Critics have described tabloyla as a bridge between traditional painting and narrative or sequential art, linking painterly practice to discussions about media culture, memory, and urban life. Practices vary from new canvases arranged in chronological series to curatorial strategies that juxtapose historical works within a narrative sequence.

See also: painting, tableau, visual narrative, installation art, sequential art.