Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts in Istanbul has launched its 2024-2025 art season with the exhibition States of Earth, marking the third collaboration between Istanbul-based curator Burcu Çimen and Berlin-based curator Didem Yazıcı. The title was directly inspired by the 2002 poetry collection of acclaimed Kırklareli-born, Istanbul-based poet Birhan Keskin. "In Keskin's poetry book, Yeryüzü Halleri, every living creature—the snail, the rose, the desert, the plain, the ant, the fish, the spider—speaks, creating an ecologically aware poetic language. This is the spirit we strived to embody. A holistic approach to nature and the environment we inhabit,” explains curator Didem Yazıcı in an interview with STIR.

The exhibition is undeniably compassionate, feminine and evocative, offering a gentle critique of the world’s state while providing a refreshing alternative to the usual doomsday narratives that insist: We are all going to die and it is our own doing. Though the exhibition retains an anthropocentric perspective, it does so in a visually engaging manner, showcasing the works of 11 artists who explore humanity's relationship with nature primarily through biodegradable, recycled or repurposed materials. The curatorial duo favour a hands-on approach. Çimen tells STIR, “One of the most exciting aspects is engaging with the artists at every stage of their work, rather than solely focusing on the finished work. The collaboration enriches the exhibition.”

States of Earth serves as a reminder that while the global ecological state often reflects decay, it also paves the way for new modes of existence.

The exhibition opens with Sibel Horada’s Shaped by Water (2019-ongoing), featuring chunks of styrofoam and polyurethane collected from the shores of Burgazada, where Horada resides. The pink, green and blue star-like formations on the wall remain untouched by the artist, presented in their original state and repurposed into art. Horada reclaims discarded trash, transforming it into enduring works of beauty.

In plant-based paintings and sculptures from his Flowers & Leaves series (2023), Murat Yıldız explores the preservation of life. He rubs freshly gathered flowers onto the canvas, shaping them into organic forms that leave a textured, grainy surface. Over time, the colours evolve, creating works that embody change and decay, mirroring the transient nature of existence. In Sand (2012), Diyarbakır-born artist Cengiz Tekin uses staged photographs as his main medium, transforming mundane and daily aspects of life into new narratives. In the work, a man hangs a picture of a sunset in a seemingly ordinary living room, but the floor is covered with sand and a little girl is casually playing with it. The sand is not beach sand, rather, it represents the sand from the Dicle (Tigris) River. In Tekin’s hometown, this river sand is often used as a foundation for buildings and this choice offers a critique of the rapid and unhealthy urbanisation that has transformed the area.

Buşra Tunç created New Extremophiles (2024) specifically for this exhibition. In a darkened room, a bench invites viewers to sit as sounds of water and birds fill the space, enhancing an inorganic zen garden made from discarded metals, neon lights and machinery parts, complemented by videos of flowing water. Tunç artfully integrates her experiences as a 2023 artist-in-residence for Tokyo's Social Dive project with a year assisting mechanics in Istanbul’s industrial hub, weaving together the serene aesthetics of Japanese gardens with the raw, mechanical elements of industry. She masterfully transforms artificial materials into a surprisingly soothing and meditative naturescape.

On the second floor, the audience is greeted by the scent emanating from Rozelin Akgün’s 2024 work Pîne (Yama) , a patchwork crafted from bio-leather and bioplastic made from recycled organic materials, including tea leaves, coffee grounds, dried basil, mint and orange peels. Akgün's patchwork symbolises the potential for social and ecological repair, reminding us that healing is an active process that demands commitment and effort.

Light from behind illuminates Begüm Mütevellioğlu’s Discover All the Beauties With Us (2023), casting intricate shadows from stained glass that create their images on the floor. Known for her oil paintings, Mütevellioğlu’s glass garden evokes a mirage of the Garden of Eden—a yearning for beauty that, in its perfection, remains tantalisingly inaccessible.

Ekin Kano’s The Body Living Itself (2019) is a captivating living sculpture. Illuminated by LED lights, the blown glass houses bacteria and fungal flora that continuously metamorphose. Kano further expands this concept in Worshipping Ancestors (2019), a collage series made from cellulose waste produced through the consumption of sugar fungi and acetic acid bacteria. Both of these works embody the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

giving (oneself) to the River Seine (2024) by Gözde Mimiko Türkkan is dedicated to exploring the River Seine in Paris and “the intersection of water’s existence as a body”. This investigation highlights the meaning and role of Sequana, the goddess of the river of the Gallo-Roman religion while examining the river’s influence on Paris' real estate map as well as the tap water quality. It also explores the security perimeter established for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Complementing this exploration are videos of the Seine and drawings by Türkkan that capture the river's tides in dynamic waveforms.

The audience's final encounter with States of Earth is a room hosting works by Judy Chicago, Berna Dolmacı and Müge Yılmaz. These pieces pay tribute to the work of Indian scholar, physicist and environmental activist Vandana Shiva, embodying her theory of sustainable and equitable environmental governance and resource management. Her vision, as articulated in her book Earth Democracy (2005), emphasises the importance of “connecting people in circles of care, cooperation and compassion”.

Near the exit, the wall showcases Foggy Blue (2022) by Berna Dolmacı. This evocative seascape is crafted from scrap papers collected in the artist’s hometown of Foça and infused with fragrances of her environment, such as lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus and pine turpentine. The remaining walls feature a set of 12 prints from Judy Chicago’s Garden Smoke (2020) series, accompanied by her earlier videos. Presented in Istanbul for the first time, Garden Smoke was created during the COVID-19 lockdown in the artist’s backyard in New Mexico. The vibrant, single-coloured flares blanket the natural habitat, capturing an array of emotions evoked by the isolation of the pandemic. Since the early 1960s, the American feminist artist has been a trailblazer in challenging patriarchal narratives and gender politics. Therefore, the curators found it essential to include Chicago in the exhibition as a tribute to a pioneer of feminist art, even though she is not Turkish.

At the heart of the room lies Müge Yılmaz’s installation, Umay Ixa Kayakızı (2021-2024), featuring life-sized wooden statues of Mesopotamian goddesses and female figures from Anatolia, specifically the twin idols of Alacahöyük and the “hand on hip” motif that represents the feminine in Anatolian crafts. Adorned with flowers, wild oregano and other plants collected by the artist, these sculptures are etched with Neolithic hieroglyphics and shamanic symbols. Each work is paired with a pillow and a curated library, inviting viewers to explore the mystical realm Yılmaz has created—a portal to another dimension.

States of Earth serves as a reminder that while the global ecological state often reflects decay, it also paves the way for new modes of existence. In uncertain times like these, it is essential to create nurturing spaces to cultivate a new understanding of the earth’s shifting states.

'States of Earth' is on view from September 06, 2024 - March 30, 2025, at Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts, Istanbul, Turkey.