Material: Water

Contemporary Art and Ecological Experiments (Production Workshop for Artists)

"Material: Water"

Executive Artists: Anı Ekin Özdemir & Seda Gecü

Date: June 30 - July 2, 2026

Time: 19:00 - 21:00

Thinking with water also involves re-establishing numerous relationships. What we often perceive as separate or distinct, marked by sharp boundaries, can actually be interconnected. By embracing its cyclicality and fluidity, water reveals alternative approaches and hidden relationships that we may overlook or remain unaware of. In this workshop, we will examine the ecological, ethical, personal, and social dimensions of water, inspired by this element that shapes, connects, divides, challenges, and sustains us.

From pollution to deep-sea mining, from dams and mining projects to illegal and uncontrolled fishing, our ecosystem and the body we inhabit are undergoing rapid changes for various reasons. Through artistic research and storytelling, we will explore new narratives, perspectives, contradictions, and depths around water in this workshop, encountering alternatives to the perception of water merely as a resource. In short, we will approach water from a non-human-centered perspective and reconsider our relationship with it.

Anı Ekin Özdemir (b. 1997, İstanbul) is an artist working primarily with photography, poetry, artistic and experimental writing, book-form, and printmaking. Her practice and research are situated in critical feminist and posthumanist theory. Through embodied investigations and poetic encounters, her work and research conflate various conversations around water: vulnerability, gender, speciesism, anthropomorphism, eroticism.

Seda Gecü (b. 1988, Istanbul) studied architecture at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and completed her master’s degree in Architectural Design at Bilgi University. She earned her PhD with her thesis titled "Stone, water, and the mountain goat: A relational reading of local knowledge and extractive interventions in Dersim." In 2019, she was selected as one of the artists for the Mamut Art Project. She participated in the 42nd Akbank Contemporary Artists Prize Exhibition in 2024. That same year, her work titled Pelte Rezervuar (Reservoir) and Mafsal (Joint/Articulation) was exhibited at 400X118. Her work has been featured in the Project Space Festival (2019), Step Istanbul (2020), the Ashkal Alwan Home Workspace Program (2021), and Border-less Art Book Days (2021). She has also conducted workshops at various universities. Her practice sits at the intersection of art, architecture, and research. She focuses on more-than-human geographies and new materialism, producing works across various visual mediums including drawing, installation, photography, and text.

* During the pre-registration stage, you are expected to include a minimum 40-word text describing your artistic practice and motivation for participating in the workshop. Applications will be reviewed, and selected participants will receive invitations via email.

* This workshop is intended for participants working in contemporary art or aiming to engage in a process of artistic production and research focused on ecological processes, water and water-related production practices. Regular attendance throughout the program is expected. Participation is free of charge and capacity is limited to 15 participants.

* To participate in the program, you can submit your application by filling out the pre-registration form via the “Register” button on the page. Registration will open 6 days before the first event (24.06.2026 at 19:00), and the “Register” button will become accessible from this date.

Workshop Program

- 30.06.2026 Tuesday / 19:00 - 21:00 / On Production and Material (Online)

In this workshop, artists will share their practices and their relationship with materials, discussing their experiences and processes. At the same time, Anı & Seda will share a short reading and film list, touching upon works, research, and questions they have recently been inspired by. We will close this session with a Q&A, followed by suggestions for preparation for the next day.

- 01.07.2026 Wednesday / 19:00 - 21:00 / Potentials of the Material (Online)

We will begin this session with a discussion based on the reading and topics assigned on the first day. Following this, we will move to brief presentations where participants will outline their areas of interest, their motivations for joining this workshop, and the relationship they intend to explore with or through the concept of water. In addition to their own work, participants are welcome to reference artists, exhibitions, or approaches that inspire them, as well as any questions they have been focusing on recently in relation to water.

- 02.07.2026 Thursday / 19:00 - 21:00 / On Exhibition Practices (Online)

We will discuss how artists from different disciplines use materials in innovative and sustainable ways, and examine the position of water as an artistic and political form of expression through various examples. Following this, we will look at and reflect on the participants' ideas for works, research concepts, exhibition practices, and presentation techniques they intend to develop in relation to water, concluding our workshop with this final session.