This first exhibition in Turkey presents selections from Suzanne Lacy’s long-term practice, which turns participation, solidarity, and mutual learning into an art form. In performances staged in countries around the world, she brings together large numbers of volunteers from across society, especially women and young people, to compose “tableaux vivant” that address identity, freedom, various forms of violence, economic hardship, and aging. With Birlikte/Togæther, she invites visitors to reflect on questions at the intersections of art and life, art and politics, and aesthetics and ethics. Large-scale, time-based public projects bring together people from all walks of life. When they enter institutional spaces such as museums, they take on new artistic qualities through varied modes of display. At SSM, video installations carry the emotional memory of participatory performances that took place in public space with hundreds of volunteers and thousands of viewers.

Presenting works from different periods of Lacy’s career, the exhibition features Whisper, the Waves, the Wind (1983–1984) and The Crystal Quilt (1985–1987), which focus on aging and the lived experience of older women; Between the Door and the Street (2013), which convenes intergenerational conversations around education, work, family, and migration; and By Your Own Hand (2014–2015), which draws attention to violence against women through public readings in which men chosen through year-long workshops read letters from more than ten thousand women in Ecuador. The exhibition also includes early examples of feminist art from the 1970s. In this regard, the selection at SSM offers a comprehensive view of the artist’s body of work spanning more than half a century.

The Sabancı Foundation, the supporter of the exhibition, has worked for more than 50 years to advance a more equal and sustainable future, particularly for women and girls, as part of its broader commitment to social development. Gender equality, women’s participation in economic and social life, and equal opportunity for girls have long been among the Foundation’s core priorities. For nearly two decades, the Foundation has also provided vital support to civil society organizations, endorsing projects aimed at preventing early and forced marriages, improving girls’ access to education, empowering women, and advancing gender equality. Suzanne Lacy’s approach to laying bare injustices faced by women through art closely aligns with the Sabancı Foundation’s mission and founding purpose.

“During years that overlap with the Istanbul Biennial, the museum programming is geared towards the contemporary. This year, we are honored to present Turkey’s first comprehensive exhibition of Suzanne Lacy, a preeminent and internationally recognized pioneer of socially engaged performance. The title Birlikte/Togæther speaks to social participation and collective making around art. Lacy’s material is voluntary participants; her medium is conversations sparked by questions. She suggests that people from very different walks of life can gather around shared concerns by listening to one another.

Lacy is widely regarded as one of the founders of “new genre public art.” Since the 1970s, her projects have centered the experiences of women and diverse communities. Her art unfolds through social interactions shaped by the participation of hundreds of volunteers and the presence of thousands of viewers. Often developed over years and staged in streets, on beaches and along waterfronts, and in shopping malls—places where people gather—these social performances are then translated into the museum in inventive ways to host their memory, prompting reflection on the meaning and future of the museum as an institution.

Over the course of the exhibition, the museum will serve as a forum for collective reflection on the social questions raised by Lacy’s work, with a program of live events, conversations, and educational offerings for audiences of all ages. It is particularly meaningful that we are realizing this exhibition together with the Sabancı Foundation, which has carried out social projects for many years; we are grateful for their support,” said Ahu Antmen, Manager of the Sakıp Sabancı Museum.

In turn, Suzanne Lacy noted: “Over years of working with diverse communities, I have come to understand that art lives not only in images but in the relationships formed in public space and in the consequences those relationships set in motion. I begin each project with questions; I am curious about how people understand their circumstances and genuinely value what they choose to share. The exhibition at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum brings these experiences, shaped in different contexts, to Istanbul. Here I share several earlier projects and hope visitors will connect the work to their own lives in meaningful ways. Art should continually open us to reflection, which is why I am excited that my work will meet entirely new audiences at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum.”

Over the course of the exhibition, Lacy’s artistic practice will be explored from multiple perspectives. The opening program is an artist talk on Saturday, September 13, at 2:00 pm, in which Suzanne Lacy joins Ahu Antmen, Manager of the Sakıp Sabancı Museum, to discuss her volunteer-driven, participatory practice.

A comprehensive catalog will accompany the exhibition, assembling essays on Lacy’s practice together with documents and a visual archive spanning the artist’s career.

In collaboration with Sabancı University’s Center of Excellence in Gender and Women’s Studies (SU Gender) and the Sabancı Foundation, the museum will also present a multilayered series of programs for visitors.

Suzanne Lacy: Birlikte/Togæther remains on view through Sunday, December 14, 2025, at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Gallery - 2.