Organised by Yunus Emre Enstitüsü – London, Beyond Nothingness: Reflections on Being and Non-Being with Dr Nurullah Koltaş will take place on Saturday, 15 November 2025, at 2:00 PM, as part of the HİÇ: In Pursuit of Nothingness exhibition programme.
In this philosophical talk, Dr Koltaş delves into the intricate relationship between being (vücûd), non-being (adem), and nothingness (hiçlik), exploring how these concepts reveal the dynamic continuum of existence and consciousness within Islamic thought. Drawing upon Sufi metaphysics, he reflects on the human journey between presence and absence, and how the awareness of nothingness opens a path to understanding the Divine. The discussion connects philosophical reflection with aesthetic experience, situating hiçlik not as negation, but as the hidden ground of creation and renewal.
Moderated by Nagihan Seymour, artist and curator of the HİÇ exhibition, the talk invites audiences to engage with one of the central metaphysical questions of Sufism: how self-knowledge becomes the key to knowing God, as expressed in the saying “He who knows himself knows his Lord.”
Through a synthesis of classical reasoning and linguistic symbolism, Dr Koltaş examines how hiçlik—the threshold between being and annihilation—defines the inner logic of creation. Drawing on Islamic philosophical and theological sources as well as the aesthetics of hüsn-i hat (Islamic calligraphy), he explores how the written letter transforms into a metaphysical sign of transcendence. Moving from the visible form of language to the silence that lies beyond it, the talk reflects on how art, expression, and consciousness shape the human perception of truth.
📩 Questions? Email: londra@yee.org.tr
By aligning with the HİÇ: In Pursuit of Nothingness exhibition, this event offers a contemplative complement to the visual and performative works on display. Together, they invite audiences to consider hiçlik not as absence, but as the luminous threshold between existence and transcendence—a silence through which the reality of being becomes known.
