Kutluğ Ataman, Sılsel

Internationally celebrated artist Kutluğ Ataman’s latest project is part of the Istanbul Theatre Festival (May 10 - June 5). Taking inspiration from a story Ataman was told in the Syriac quarter of Mardin, Sılsel is a collaborative performance piece in which the public are invited to contribute a panel to a vast tapestry of the sky. The title comes from a sky motif painted on the ceilings of Syriac houses, apparently as a reminder of the real sky which residents were too fearful to venture out under in a climate of discrimination and oppression. Participants are invited to write a message to Turkey on a piece of cloth 45cm wide and bring it to the Galata Greek Primary School where it will become part of the evolving artwork.

Art by Kutluğ Ataman also features in the new display of the Sakıp Sabancı Museum’s calligraphy collection