New İstanbul art exhibition questions the meaning of animal shelters
The "Barı-n/m-ak" exhibition, which brings contemporary art and animal rights advocacy together, opened today at Müze Gazhane. Curated by Hicran Aksöz, the social responsibility project features works by 27 contemporary artists and aims to raise awareness while providing a concrete solidarity model.
The title of the exhibition, created through a typographic intervention, questions the concepts of shelter and sheltering at the same time. It invites viewers to reflect on cohabitation in the city, the right to shelter, and interspecies solidarity. The project raises questions about what the right to shelter means, who can and cannot shelter in the city, whether shelters are a sanctuary or an isolation zone for animals, and how living spaces opened or closed by human hands are shaped.
Participating artists include Özge Akdeniz, Ozan Atalan, Vahap Avşar, Melis Baçaru, Beyza Boynudelik, Cins, Yağmur Çalış, Bekir Dindar, Alea Pınar Du Pre, Çağdaş Erçelik, Arzu Ertekin, Güler Güçlü, Osman Gültepe, Seydi Murat Koç, Mehmet Sinan Kuran, Burak Kutlay, Gönül Nuhoğlu, Tuğba Öztopçu, Lebriz Rona, Ezgi Sandıkçı, Gonca Sezer, Nilüfer Şatana, Erkut Terliksiz, Cansu Yıldıran, Çiğdem Yıldırım, İpek Yücesoy, and Baysan Yüksel. Some artists produced new works specifically for the theme, while others contributed existing pieces.
As part of the exhibition, artist talks will bring participants together with the audience to discuss their works and the project process. Workshops will cover animal rights-themed art activities for both children and adults. At the end of the exhibition, the artists will connect their works with collectors on their own initiative. The support generated from these meetings will directly purchase supplies on the urgent needs lists of the Beşiktaş Municipality Shelters and Angels Farm.
The exhibition is open free of charge at Müze Gazhane Hall P from May 21 to Aug 31, 2026. Visitors can attend from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm local time (GMT+3) every day except Mondays. (TY/VK)