Eda Soylu and Hatice Utkan’s exhibition, “In the Belly of the Whale,” combines poetry and art, takes place at Barın Han from April 24 to June 14, 2025. The exhibition features Eda Soylu’s works alongside Hatice Utkan’s poems.
In the exhibition “In the Belly of the Whale,” Soylu and Utkan combine their knowledge of painting, sculpture, and poetry to explore a new approach to art by integrating these fields. Grounded in the history of thought and philosophy, the duo takes the viewer on a journey through the concepts of mind, body, soul, existence, and unity.
Soylu and Utkan open a new path by creating a variety of crafts and interdisciplinary productions together. In this context, “In the Belly of the Whale,” which also references the tradition of writing and visualization established by Emin Barın, stands at a point where the ancient and contemporary merge.
While paintings, sculptures, poems, and installations span the three floors of Barın Han, the duo questions the merging of artwork and writing today, along with the role of poetry in this context. This inquiry reflects a tradition of writing that transcends the visible, the act of writing, and the potential to discover new expressions within the poetic flow.
In the exhibition, visuality is reflected in poetry and poetry in visuality. Both fields expand and coexist in a new dimension. Drawing from the history of thought and philosophy, Soylu and Utkan take the viewer on a journey through the concepts of mind, body, soul, existence, and unity.
Spread across three floors of Barın Han, various artists contribute to the realms of expression explored in the exhibition. These interconnected experiences create possibilities for new forms of interdisciplinary and craft production. Barış Baykan, Mert Onur, Esra Özkalkan, Nur Soylu, Berke Cem Sönmez, Gözde Tolan, Kaan Urgancıoğlu, showcase their work through mosaics, marbling, copper, sound, and video installations. In this context, Soylu and Utkan strive to uphold the concept of togetherness that Barın Han embodies.
