Works by Fatoş İrwen and Yaşam Şaşmazer join İstanbul Modern's Permanent Collection (01/08/2026)
We are delighted to announce that İstanbul Modern has acquired two works by Fatoş İrwen and Yaşam Şaşmazer for its permanent collection.
Fatoş İrwen's Rosa (2018-2020) continues the artist's exploration of the body, self-defence, and women's resistance. Inspired by the hedgehogs of the Hevsel Gardens and embodied in the form of a pink children's garment, the work juxtaposes the softness of pink with the hedgehog's sharp spines to evoke forms of feminine resistance. As in much of İrwen's practice, Rosa draws on the artist's personal experiences to construct a narrative challenging patriarchy, feudalism, and state violence.
Yaşam Şaşmazer's Taming the Darkness (2013) continues the artist's exploration of the human psyche, examining themes of vulnerability, transformation, and the relationship between the body and the subconscious. Carved in wood, the work reflects on vulnerability, transformation, and the subconscious, inviting viewers to consider darkness not as something to be suppressed, but as a space to be confronted and transformed.