inVISIBLE TRACES?
Natural Visibility: An Unquestioned State of Being

Are you among those who possess natural visibility, or among those whose existence is problematized, whose legitimacy is questioned, and whose presence is turned into a matter of debate? Are you constantly required to explain your identity? Is your identity targeted? Do you have to defend who you are? Or are you among those whose identity is accepted as “ordinary”?

To enjoy natural visibility is a fundamental right that every individual needs in cultural and political terms. In its exhibitions, Istanbul Gender Museum opens up room for thinking about, discussing and transforming the concept of natural visibility; and uses this concept in its work against othering and exclusion.

In the exhibition inVISIBLE TRACES?, Jewish, Armenian, and Greek women in Turkey—who still do not possess natural visibility—share their experiences of how they negotiate patriarchal norms both within their own communities and in broader social contexts. They reflect on the forms of resistance they have developed against gender hierarchies, and on how these strategies interact with and shape one another through categories such as gender, religion and social class.

The exhibition took shape through workshops facilitated by Aylin Vartanyan and supported by her expressive arts practices, inspired by the words of Indian-born filmmaker Mira Nair: “If you don’t tell your own story, someone else will tell it for you.” Illustrator Duygu Aşık accompanied the creative process, rendering the shared narratives visible through her drawings.

As a result of this meaningful collective process, inVISIBLE TRACES? emerged as an exhibition curated by the participants of the workshops. Thus, an exhibition was created in which stories of empowerment were multiplied. Not only the exhibition itself, but also its collective creation formed a sustainable space in which concepts such as social togetherness and cultural diversity were redefined through a feminist lense—offering something nurturing and restorative for all of us.

We invite you to visit the exhibition inVISIBLE TRACES? while reflecting on the questions: Who is able to be naturally visible, and who is forced to struggle in order to become visible?

İstanbul Gender Museum