EMANET/TROY: VUSLAT’S MAJOR INSTITUTIONAL EXHIBITION AT TROY MUSEUM

Exhibition Reimagines Myth and Memory with an exhibition weaving ancient narratives with contemporary artistic practice

May 25 – July 25, 2025 | Troy Museum, Çanakkale, Turkey

The Troy Museum, located near the legendary ruins of Troy, presents Emanet/Troy, the latest iteration of Vuslat’s ongoing Emanet series, from May 25 to July 25, 2025. Curated by Paolo Colombo, the exhibition deepens the artist’s exploration of emanet, a concept that embodies trust, preservation, and responsibility—what is entrusted to us and what we, in turn, become custodians of. Following institutional exhibitions at Baksı Museum (2023) and MSGSU Tophane-i Amire (2024), Emanet/Troy places this inquiry in direct dialogue with one of history’s most significant archaeological sites.

The project was made possible through the invitation of Prof. Rüstem Aslan, Director of the Archaeological Excavations of Troy, and Rıdvan Gölcük, Director of the Troy Museum, whose collaboration has grounded the exhibition within the historical and cultural fabric of Troy. Their involvement strengthens the exhibition’s connection to archaeology, mythology, and the preservation of ancient narratives.

At its core, Emanet/Troy presents sculptural and installation works that create a layered dialogue with the site. Ceramic sculptures, appearing as birds in flight from certain angles, evoke movement and fragility. Suspended botanical forms encased in silver baths suggest an alchemical transformation of nature. Large sanguine chalk drawings—made using natural pigments from Bayburt, Turkey—anchor the exhibition to the land, while a chain-like sculpture symbolises the interwoven nature of personal and ancestral histories. Kinetic mesh works subtly mimic organic growth, integrating contemporary art into the museum’s archaeological environment.

The exhibition unfolds across five conceptual layers: the artwork itself, the history it engages with, the natural world it references, the storytelling traditions of The Iliad, and the voices—both human and non-human—that have carried its legacy through time. While technical collaborations are common in contemporary art, every work in Emanet/Troy originates from Vuslat’s artistic vision, material experimentation, and deeply personal creative process, reinforcing her commitment to hands-on artistic exploration.

Curator Paolo Colombo describes Vuslat’s artistic practice as deeply intertwined with nature and generosity. “Nature is ever-present in her work, from terracotta sculptures to delicate branches that mirror the intricate patterns of plant life. Her art embodies generosity—an act of giving, receiving, and protecting, creating an endless flow of energy. Her large sanguine chalk drawings of birds capture this essence, their pigments drawn from the earth, their wings spanning canvas and sky. When she introduced me to The Conference of the Birds, I recalled my visit to Troy, where seven hoopoes perched on its ancient walls. In that moment, her work and the mythology of birds became inseparable—a dialogue between history, storytelling, and the miracle of flight.”