Mina’s Children Project, Collective “Healing” at Metrohan with Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Collaboration
Mina’s Children Project, under the Turkish University Women’s Association Istanbul Branch, in collaboration with Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, is taking place at Metrohan, where restoration is ongoing from 1st to 31st of March with the Collective “Healing.” Curated by Ayça Okay, Collective Healing includes an exhibition featuring works of internationally producing artists, as well as a participatory public program that includes discussions, workshops, and experiential encounters. Mina’s Children will also support university young women who experience housing and education access problems due to the earthquake during the exhibition period with the donations received through the Collective Healing.
Mina’s Children Project, which focuses on contemporary societal issues in its projects and aims to contribute to collective consciousness, has been meeting with the public for three years with the Bodrum-Collective “Memory” and Trabzon-Collective “Reflection” projects. Following these projects, it will meet with Istanbulites at Metrohan between 1st and 31st of March within the Collective “Healing,” which is among the 100th Anniversary Projects of the Turkish University Women’s Association Istanbul Branch and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. The donations received during the Collective “Healing” exhibition and parallel event series, which is a part of the Mina’s Children Project under the Turkish University Women’s Association Istanbul Branch, will be used as scholarships to solve the housing problems of young women affected by the earthquake and to continue their education. Embracing contemporary art as a reconciliation tool to shed light on current issues and create public opinion, Mina’s Children Project, with curator Ayça Okay in the Collective “Healing,” aims to discuss the functionality of art fields and production during crisis periods by designing the multi-part architectural structure of Metrohan as a healing center.
The exhibition and public program, which focuses on contemporary issues that women face during the one-year research-based project preparation process, aims to make their voices heard through contemporary art to create a long-term, sustainable support system to support the housing and education accessibility of young female university students affected by the earthquake through Mina’s Children Project.
Sounds of “Healing” will rise from Metrohan
Metrohan, a memory space that has witnessed Istanbul’s past and a meeting point for the masses, will be a center for discussions on ways of healing for a month in Collective Healing, including International Women’s Day on March 8th. The discussions will cover topics such as gender inequality, awareness-raising, and healing traumas, which concern different layers of society. The exhibition curated by Ayça Okay will draw attention to issues centered around “Women” with the works of 19 national and international artists. In the parallel event series, meditative sound experiences, conversations, archival studies, and initiatives conducting psychopathological analysis will meet with Istanbulites.
Mina’s Children, a social responsibility project aimed at empowering young girls included in the Mina Başaran scholarship program, which aims to shed light on the future strong, exemplary individuals of children in need between the ages of 10-14, where curiosity and vital perspectives are sown. This time, it will support university young women who have difficulty accessing education and housing problems with donations made.
ZOMA, the Modern Museum of Ethiopia, known worldwide for its vernacular architecture, TÜRKONFED, Baltaş Group, TÜKD, Endeavor, Mindfulness Institute, and Meditopia contribute to the design of the public program of the Collective Healing Exhibition.
In Collective Healing; along with artists such as Hoda Tawakol, Alicia Framis, Mehtap Baydu, Saelia Aparicio, Silva Bingaz, Roslyn Orlando, Neriman Polat, Nancy Atakan, İnci Eviner, Nergiz Yeşil, Büşra Çeğil, Lara Ögel, Zeyno Pekünlü, Deniz Hartık, Leyla Emadi, Leyla Gediz, and MADEYOULOOK; there are also toys from the Istanbul Toy Museum Collection and a video by Tracey Emin from the Julia Stoschek Collection. In addition, viewers can experience a psychotherapy session with the Sigmund Freud “bot” based on artificial intelligence created by the Character AI initiative at the venue designed as the Collective Healing Center.
Mina’s Children Project, which will welcome visitors in Istanbul for a month in cooperation with Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, will open with the Collective Healing Exhibition and parallel event series on March 1st. The exhibition and parallel events will be open to the public from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, except on Mondays.
TÜKD, which stands for Türk Üniversiteli Kadınlar Derneği (Turkish Association of University Women), was founded on December 19th, 1949 in Ankara, Turkey by a group of educated and modern women, including Süreyya Ağaoğlu, Sara Akdik, Şevket Fazıla Giz, and Pakize Tarzi, who were among the first and leading university graduates of the Republic of Turkey. Today, TÜKD is one of the oldest and most established women’s organizations in Turkey, with 26 different branches throughout the country.
The Istanbul branch of TÜKD aims to help young female university students become educated, successful, and socially responsible individuals who can contribute to their communities. To achieve this goal, the branch provides training sessions conducted by experts in their respective fields, in addition to English and French language classes, as well as opportunities to participate in cultural activities such as opera, ballet, theater, museums, and various exhibitions. The branch also strives to promote equal representation of women in decision-making processes, economic independence, and the ability for young women to be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to assert themselves in all aspects of life. Moreover, the Istanbul branch encourages university students to volunteer in social responsibility projects, thereby fostering a sense of social responsibility among the youth.
