The exhibition “Epipe” by artist Güneş Terkol, the first project supported in the 2025–2026 period under Salt’s Artistic Research and Production Support Program, haopened to visitors at Salt Galata.
Tracing the route of a migration stretching from Russia to China and ultimately to Türkiye, the exhibition is the outcome of a 20-year-long research project carried out by Terkol together with her mother, Elmira Terkol, curator Amira Akbıyıkoğlu told state-run Anadolu Agency at the exhibition’s preview.
Providing information on the exhibition, Akbıyıkoğlu said it brings together stories of the Kazan Tatars’ gradual migration from Kazan to China and from China to Türkiye, expanding from family narratives to include the experiences of others from the same community.
“Güneş has been conducting this research with her mother since 2002. Last year, Salt launched an artistic research fund together with the BBVA Foundation. Güneş Terkol was among the applicants and this migration-focused project was selected,” she said.
Artist Güneş Terkol said the exhibition was shaped around her family’s migration story.
“We carried out the project together with my mother. This is an exhibition about how Kazan Tatars came to Türkiye, how they lived and how they preserved their memories,” she said.
Noting that they conducted interviews with family members, Terkol said they have carried out more than 20 interviews over a span of 22 years. “We are still continuing. The project is not finished. It will eventually emerge as a film or an experimental documentary,” she added.
Pointing to the similarities between motifs, weaving and craft techniques found in the exhibition and those in Türkiye, Terkol said the exhibition could help visitors establish connections between cultures.
As part of the preview, a talk was held with curator Akbıyıkoğlu, artist Terkol and Elmira Terkol, focusing on the exhibition’s production process, materials used and the story behind the project. This was followed by a guided tour of the exhibition.
About exhibition
As the first project of the Salt Artistic Research and Production Support Program, “Epipe” presents a personal migration story developed by Güneş Terkol together with her mother, tracing a historical migration route through individual narratives.
Through archival materials, found objects and interviews, the exhibition follows a complex and multi-layered migration story beginning in Russia, continuing to China and reaching Türkiye.
“Epipe,” the title of the exhibition, is also the name of a Kazan Tatar folk song, which evokes joy, vitality and movement, as well as a shared sense of rhythm within the community.
The exhibition will be on view at Salt Galata until March 8.
