ABSTRACT
Deriving from the Gezi Park protests, this chapter focuses on an art exhibition that took place in Istanbul in 2017, which was realized under the ‘Aesthetics of Protest’ project. Looking at past examples of community art practices, this exhibition proposes to think of collectivity as a form of resistance and frames how aesthetics of protest can be traced to artistic work in order to provide solidarity and empowerment. Working with different art and environmental collectives, the exhibition questions the idea of ‘neighbourhood’ and ‘neighbourliness’ and searches for ways of sustaining hope and solidarity through the aesthetic values of the Gezi Park protests and in an artistic practice. This chapter conceptualizes the process of the exhibition and its artistic research process.
