Organised as part of the public programme of The Promises of Monsters exhibition, this artist talk invites us to discover the erotic, poisonous yet embracing world of Şafak Şule Kemancı, guided by Ozan Ünlükoç’s questions. Taking as their point of departure the Brugmansia plant and tracing a line from the Pleistocene to the present day, weaving in exoticised bodies, coded languages and subtle gestures, Ünlükoç and Kemancı will probe the question: what do monsters promise us in a world some describe as “strange” and others recognise as their own? Gather with us under the large flower sprawling at the entrance of the exhibition and prepare to be swaddled by its tender leaves.
Ozan Ünlükoç
Ozan Ünlükoç completed undergraduate studies in art history and has focused professional work on art and gender studies. In Turkey, Ünlükoç was a founding member and board member of the Siyah Pembe Üçgen İzmir Association, an organisation working for LGBTQ+ rights. In line with the association’s mission, Ünlükoç coordinated the Baki Koşar Culture and Arts Festival, playing a key role in increasing the visibility of marginalised voices in the arts. Ünlükoç has also been actively involved in the Kara Pembe Karşı Art Collective and the independent curatorial initiative Sınır/sız, contributing to the creation of spaces where young queer artists can express themselves. Ünlükoç is currently Editor-in-Chief of Argonotlar, and continues to develop contemporary art projects while taking part in independent curatorial initiatives focused on diverse narratives and forms of creative expression.
Şafak Şule Kemancı
Working across different media, Şafak Şule Kemancı constructs queer ecosystems where a sense of playful diversity dissolves normative boundaries and opens up new possibilities. Drawing inspiration from nature’s strategies of proliferation under pressure, their work challenges fixed identities and categories. The hybrid forms Kemancı creates celebrate the existence of othered bodies. Their solo and group exhibitions include The Three-Legged Cat (Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, 2025), Sex Reenchanted (Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg, 2024), Queerreality (Kulturbunker KölnMülheim, Cologne, 2024), Pretty Doomed (Ugly Duck, London, 2023), lean on me earth tree (Ka Atölye, Ankara, 2022), Life, Death, Love and Justice (Yapı Kredi Culture Centre, Istanbul, 2022), A Bit of Unruly Complexity (SANATORIUM, Istanbul, 2022), and all the birds would come to my garden (Depo, Istanbul, 2021). The artist received a BA in Textile Design from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 2001, followed by an MFA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2008. The artist lives and works in Istanbul.
Time: 15:00
This event is free.
To register: [email protected]
