Nasan Tur. Ekrem

Since 2021, Nasan Tur has dedicated his ongoing series Locked Up to people who have been imprisoned because of their political and civic engagement. Their portraits appear behind windows in public spaces, bringing visibility to those who are excluded from social life due to their incarceration. In this way, remembrance becomes a form of resistance, keeping the subjects present even where their voices are silenced and they are being pushed out of the public sphere. For KIF, Nasan Tur is creating a new work from the Locked Up series that focuses on Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul who was re-elected in 2024 and one of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s most significant political opponents. İmamoğlu was arrested in March 2025 along with numerous other individuals from his political circle and has been in custody ever since. His arrest took place just a few days before his nomination as the presidential candidate of the opposition party CHP and sparked nationwide protests. The case against him has been criticized internationally as a politically motivated action against the Turkish opposition. In his artistic practice, Nasan Tur explores political and social power dynamics and how they shape individual action. A recurring central theme is the question of what possibilities for personal agency and self-determination exist under these conditions. Nasan Tur (born 1974 in Offenbach am Main) lives and works in Berlin and is a professor at the Braunschweig University of Art. His work has been shown internationally, including at documenta 14, the Istanbul Biennial and the Taipei Biennial, as well as at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin and MAXXI in Rome. In 2023, the Berlinische Galerie presented his solo exhibition Hunted . His work Elevation is currently on view as part of Manifesta 16 Ruhr at St. Gertrud Church in Essen through October 4, 2026. Read more Toggle Multi-disciplinary Mixed media