ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Vuslat's 'Emanet' Explores Trust and Guardianship at Tophane-i Amire

exhibition · 2026-04-22

Turkish activist and artist Vuslat presents 'Emanet', her second solo traveling exhibition, at the Tophane-i Amire Cultural and Art Center in Istanbul, a former Ottoman artillery factory. The show, curated by Ebru Yetişkin, unfolds as a polyphonic memory recording through sculptures, paintings, and sound installations. The monumental centerpiece, 'Umbilical Cord of Life' (2023), is a gilded chain installation remodelled from a necklace given by her grandmother, symbolizing the cycle of life and death. Other works include 'A Place We Meet II' (2023), with silver-cast mullein plants on Bayburt stone plinths, and 'Embrace' (2024), a collaboration with artist Pelda Aytas and women villagers, embroidered with the semantic roots of 'emanet' in nine languages. The exhibition runs until July 30.

Key facts

  • Vuslat's solo exhibition 'Emanet' is at Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center in Istanbul.
  • The venue was originally an Ottoman artillery factory and armoury.
  • Ebru Yetişkin is the curator of the exhibition.
  • The centerpiece 'Umbilical Cord of Life' (2023) is a gilded chain installation.
  • The work is a remodelling of a necklace from Vuslat's grandmother.
  • 'A Place We Meet II' (2023) features mullein plants cast in silver on Bayburt stone plinths.
  • 'Embrace' (2024) is a collaboration with Pelda Aytas and women villagers.
  • The word 'emanet' is documented in nine languages in 'Embrace'.
  • The exhibition runs until 30th July.

Entities

Artists

  • Vuslat
  • Ebru Yetişkin
  • Pelda Aytas

Institutions

  • Tophane-i Amire Cultural and Art Center

Locations

  • Istanbul
  • Turkey
  • Bayburt

Sources