Photography by ÇETIN DAVUT
MELISA SABANCI TAPAN, FOUNDER OF GATE 27, ON THE RESIDENCY’S COLLECTING ETHOS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF GÜLÇIN AKSOY’S PHOTOGRAPHS.
COLLECTING AS COMMUNAL PRACTICE
The GATE 27 collection is not an acquisition-driven project; rather, it is the outcome of an artist-in-residence process. What Gate 27 holds is a curated body of work that emerges from sustained artistic research – a living archive shaped by practice, place, and community. These works embody our shared values and ways of working.
The works Untitled No. 1, 2021 and Untitled No. 2, 2021 by the late artist Gülçin Aksoy, (photographed by Nazlı Erdemirel), both honour her memory and speak directly to Gate 27’s relationship with nature and all living beings. One of the leading figures of Istanbul’s contemporary art scene from the 1990s onward, Aksoy worked across tapestry, photography, video, performance, and installation, using diverse materials including found objects and textiles. Her practice examined mechanisms of power and moved far beyond retinal modes of art-making, demanding deep conceptual engagement from the viewer. These photographs were taken during our retreat programme and document the accumulation of waste – largely plastic toys and bags discarded by tourist ferry traffic – until the work takes an unexpected turn. The residency in Ayvalık, located on the seashore, creates a recurring experience for residents: many instinctively begin cleaning the beach each day, only to find the same volume of waste returning again and again.
Aksoy joined this ritual until one day she stopped, physically exhausted under the noon sun. In that pause, she recognised the paradox: this waste was not accidental, but a by-product of how humans sustain life within current systems. She then placed herself among the debris, posing as a discarded baby doll – indistinguishable from the plastic objects surrounding her. “If there is waste, there are humans,” she told me. This gesture opened broader questions: about microplastics entering all living bodies; about agriculture, soil, and consumption; and ultimately about how urgently we must rethink the relationship between humans and non-humans. Circularity is no longer a theoretical concern – it is an ethical necessity. We lost Gülçin Aksoy unexpectedly two years ago. Her legacy remains one of the most rigorous voices in contemporary Turkish art. Her work continues to live – not as an object, but as a question.
As the founder of Gate 27 – an international platform for artistic research and regenerative design, where we bring together artists, scientists, ecologists, and cultural thinkers to address shared societal and planetary challenges such as those Aksoy was exploring in her work – I build creative ecosystems that emphasise collective care, inclusion, and long-term impact. Rather than pursuing art through an individual collecting practice, I extend the museological mindset I inherited from my family by creating platforms for access and dialogue. Across my initiatives, I approach art and culture not simply as outputs but as processes that enable reflection, dialogue, and new ways of relating. My work is grounded in asking forward-looking questions and creating spaces where alternative narratives and futures can be explored.