Most of us are unaware of the power we have. From time to time, we need to be reminded of that power within. With my “Strong Women” project, my priority is to tell women of the power and strength they have within themselves and that with that power they are capable of accomplishing anything.
Maya Angelou
As an artist and educator, I care deeply about the value of an education in the arts. As an artist myself, I aim to educate the unaware public and enable them to think, comprehend and develop their understanding and opinions.
I believe that the cultural arts
represent one of the few areas where people from many societies can come together to share an experience even if they see the world in radically different ways.
Sonia Sotomayor
This project began with my reflection of my country of origin, Turkey, where there is a huge percentage of girls
forced by their families to marry an older person due to high poverty and ignorance. Within this patriarchal
paradigm, women are seen as second class citizens whose primary purpose is giving birth, cooking, cleaning and serving her husband.
Jane Goodall
As an artist, I view my role as being one of exposing the situation, providing a voice for the oppressed and offering an alternative that inspires change. For that change to occur, women need to be reminded of
the power they have within themselves, a force that is equal to a warrior and that she can change the world if she wished. Through my work I can remind people of the women who realized the power within themselves to create change, amplifying their voices through the utilization of visual art, striving to be a universal language.
Rosa Parks
The goal of my current project is to make portraits of strong women who have successfully faced oppression and discouragement as they dared to live their life according to their dreams and ambitions. These portraits are meant to show what women, even those living as minorities in patriarchal societies, can and do achieve regardless of obstacles that attempt to silence them and render them weak.
Sally Ride
To date, I am in the process of completing eight portraits and have research at various stages for twenty-five more. As part of the process, I have drawn inspiration from women of different countries who dedicated their lives to their
jobs, who fought gender inequality and for the rights of women.
Sabiha Gokcen
I illustrate their portraits using symbols to express their stories. For example, in each portrait, I juxtapose a specific type of flower to enhance the narrative of her
personality. The flowers I chose come from my research on the individual and through email conversations with the individual or with their surviving family members. I do this because I believe the flowers are used across my
societies to communicate meaning, so what better way is there to symbolize women?
Suna Kirac
Fabulous women heroes destroyed all obstacles, rather than let all obstacles destroy them; intrepid women, serving as the antithesis of the traditional damsels in distress rather than waiting for the prince, they took salvation into their own.
While the portraits are the primary part of the project, I have also been engaged in creating written narratives supported by research visuals to help tell the stories of these women, many of whom are not part of mainstream understanding. My goal is to gather a multi-generational collection of women to record these stories for playback
while the work is on display.
Halide Edip Adivar
I intend to have these stories voiced by a group of women that are not only generational diverse, but racially, culturally, economically and all other ways women can be different from each other, just as the women in the portraits are as well as the audience.
Benazir Bhutto
This project is not only a journey for me as an artist but as a person as well. I have grown and motivated myself through the inspiration and awe I have for these women’s perseverance and success. My aim is to continue to build this collection and to exhibit the work to remind women of the power and courage within that once enabled these
women to become real-life heroes and to emphasize the importance of the effort and need to not give up on the new generation of youth.
Turkan Saylan
Since we all live within the tragedies that women struggle with all around the world under patriarchal societies, I intend to display my project in various exhibitions, cities, embassies or consulates and universities to help stimulate the conversations and dialog needed for change. Excited to prepare for life after graduation, I have already been submitting proposals to build momentum for the work.
Zubeyde Hanim
I am pleased to share that I have been invited by the Atatürk Society to present the project at a reception in Washington D.C on May 19th. While this is just the beginning, I am certain this work will continue well into my future.
Nermin Odabas
Alix Dobkin
Michelle Brisson
Golda Meir
