Ahmet Güneştekin's 'Picco di memoria' removed from Galleria Nazionale Roma due to odor complaints

Turkish artist and activist Ahmet Güneştekin (born 1966 in Batman) was forced to remove his installation 'Picco di memoria' from the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Roma ahead of his exhibition 'Yoktunuz', curated by Sergio Risaliti and Paola Marino with organizational direction by Angelo Bucarelli, opening July 1, 2025 and running until September 28, 2025. The work, composed of hundreds of shoes worn by poor people, commemorates tragedies including the 2014 Soma mining disaster, the exile of Yazidis fleeing Şengal, and the 2011 Roboski massacre on the Iraq-Turkey border. Museum staff complained via union representatives about a strong, acrid odor causing headaches and nausea, leading to an inspection request. Güneştekin, who had intended to place the work in the Sala delle Battaglie, decided to remove it out of respect for workers despite possessing health certifications. He stated that the work's smell reflects the reality of poverty and death, and that he will replace it with new photographic works crystallizing the memory of 'Picco di memoria'. The artist has previously exhibited the installation without issues.