Two New Exhibitions at Baksı Museum

Baksı Museum is hosting two new exhibitions: Utopia Workshops, which brings together the dreams of young artists, and Silent Lives, Great Stories, which bridges the past and present through the works of Helga Franke.

Located in Bayburt, Baksı Museum has opened its doors to two new exhibitions. Utopia Workshops, showcasing collaborative works created by young artists and seasoned masters, and Silent Lives, Great Stories, featuring the intricate handiwork of Helga Franke, invite visitors to reflect, feel, and imagine amidst Bayburt’s inspiring natural setting.

A Future Dreamed Together at Baksı: Utopia Workshops

For the second year, Baksı Museum is presenting the Utopia Workshops Exhibition, featuring works produced through the Utopia Workshops initiative, where young artists and established names come together to create unique pieces in close connection with nature. The exhibition offers a unique experience that sparks the imagination and pushes the boundaries of the senses.

A particularly striking aspect is that Amelie Strömer, who once participated as a workshop attendee, has now returned to Baksı as the exhibition’s curator — a testament to the transformative power of the workshops and the lasting impact they have on artists.

Held in the culturally and naturally rich atmosphere of Eastern Anatolia, these gatherings transcend the traditional boundaries of art education, proposing a new model for creation and sharing. The exhibition features works in various media including sculpture, video, performance, textile, and installation, engaging with contemporary issues such as ecological fragility, memory, belonging, and transformation. Each piece invites viewers to reconsider art not merely as a form of expression, but as a “way of dreaming.”

A Profound Experience of Transformation

Artists guiding the workshops describe the process as not merely an educational setting, but a profound experience of transformation. Artist Osman Dinç describes the Utopia Workshops as “reviving the master-apprentice relationship and enabling direct communication with young artists.” Video artist Ali Kazma emphasizes how the surroundings of Baksı have been reimagined through the perspectives of the participants, becoming a video portrait shaped by fresh eyes.

Art historian and artist Nancy Atakan remarks, “Connecting with nature and giving new life to old objects offers a sustainable perspective.” Sculptor Mehmet Kavukçu adds, “Nature has been an invaluable resource for both individual and collective consciousness,” while painter Yeşim Akdeniz states, “For my students, Baksı has become a space for thinking where the traditional and the contemporary are considered together.”

Sculptor Seçkin Pirim notes, “It was thrilling to rethink the fundamental concepts of sculpture — light, shadow, and void — intertwined with nature.” In the workshop led by Ahmet Yiğider, participants explored the sense of smell as a starting point in their quest for a timeless, dream-like language.

Silent Lives, Great Stories

Another exhibition currently on view at Baksı Museum is Silent Lives, Great Stories, which showcases the delicate handmade works of Helga Franke. This exhibition reveals the extraordinary life story of Franke, born in 1924, through her meticulously crafted lace and embroidery.

The exhibition presents a century of creations by Helga Franke, who was born in Germany, later lived in Australia, and developed a profound affection for Turkey. Franke emigrated to Australia in 1950 and worked for many years at the state railways, dedicating her spare time with patience and passion to producing her intricate needlework. A turning point in her life came in 1968 when she met Sabahattin Tölük from Sarıkamış, Turkey.

The two lived together until Franke passed away in 2024 at the age of 100. After her passing, her handiwork reached Baksı Museum in Bayburt, carrying with it Tölük’s sentiment that “Those who are remembered never truly die.” Tölük’s greatest wish is that these works will inspire young women in the region.

Prof. Hüsamettin Koçan, founder of Baksı Museum, was deeply moved by Sabahattin Tölük’s dedication to preserving Helga Franke’s memory, emphasizing that this exhibition is not merely about handicraft but also a poignant testament to loyalty and passion.

Utopia Workshops Exhibition at Baksı Museum

A Story of Loyalty and Passion

In his essay titled A Story of Loyalty and Passion, Hüsamettin Koçan writes the following about the exhibition:

“We live in an age where everything is rapidly consumed. The most critical casualty of this is human relationships, especially those between men and women. Should a relationship be an ongoing partnership, or merely a series of brief encounters? This question has long been debated and continues to be. In traditional societies, the legitimacy of relationships between men and women has always been seen as significant, with the burden of maintaining this legitimacy often falling on women’s shoulders.

It was precisely during a period when these issues were being discussed at our foundation — for instance, during our ‘Women’s Table’ meetings that addressed gender equality on an international scale — that I received a phone call. The caller, Sabahattin Tölük from Sydney, spoke with a gentle but anxious tone. He said he wished to exhibit the handmade works of his German partner, whom he had lost two months prior, and that he owned an extensive collection. He expressed a heartfelt desire for these works, born of labor and dedication, to remain in the land of their origins — in Erzurum, in Turkey.

I was deeply touched by the desire of people from different backgrounds to preserve one another’s legacies and to trace the memories left behind by those they loved. Our people, by nature, are somewhat flâneurs; they know everything about other people’s lives yet keep their own private. But this friend of ours had not hidden the love he experienced. Sabahattin Tölük, an Erzurum native, had never married Helga Franke, a German woman sixteen years his senior, but loved her deeply. Helga Franke had built a life for herself in Australia, characterized by discipline and creativity. After her passing, Tölük wanted to keep the memory of their relationship and her legacy alive in Turkey.

In an age where everything is consumed so quickly, someone’s effort to sustain such a relationship felt deeply meaningful to me. I wanted to see the collection. He brought a bag full of works to the museum. When we opened it, we discovered a highly colorful, orderly, and productive personality. Helga Franke had a successful career as an engineer but, in her free time, devoted herself to embroidery and crochet, patiently crafting her own world stitch by stitch.

This meeting was something quite out of step with the spirit of our times — it felt like a story from older romances, reminiscent of Leyla and Mecnun. We decided to share this special story through the exhibition ‘Silent Lives, Great Stories’ at our museum. Helga’s story, woven through her embroidery and crochet, now meets visitors in this exhibition. A life story narrated through the traditional technique of crochet…

Earlier this year, we exhibited ‘Suns,’ crafted by women, as part of our exhibition ‘The Truth Behind the Shadow’ in Istanbul. This time, we’re presenting works created not with beads but with thread and crochet. I hope we can bring this exhibition to other cities as well. Because there exists a human reality that refuses to settle for the uniform paths imposed by mass culture and seeks diversity. This exhibition offers a glimpse into the richness of that pursuit.”