SAHA supports Esra Gülmen’s new project at Design Museum Gent between 3 October 2026 – 11 April 2027. Curated by Amelie Klein & Vera Sacchetti, Public Matter(s): Design and Democracy explores how design shapes democratic systems, from visible structures to the invisible rules governing political life. Questioning whether existing systems meet contemporary needs, the exhibition examines alternative models of democracy, including citizen selection by lottery and the constitutional rights of nature. It also addresses issues of exclusion, representation, protest, and political disillusionment, while encouraging visitors to actively engage with democracy through practices of listening, curiosity, and empathy.
Gülmen's project brings together three interactive sculptures that use play, movement and participation to explore tensions, negotiation and balance within collective coexistence. Conceived as a “democracy playground,” the installation transforms social tensions and opposing positions into a shared physical experience.
Esra Gülmen (1986, Istanbul) is a Berlin-based artist from Türkiye. As a genuine witness and observer of her zeitgeist, Esra Gülmen generates contemporary iconography of the here and now in response to visual culture, and the present, while, concerning the past, she uses a form and creative language all her own. She develops a playful, ironic practice by carving out and revealing the "embedded notions" of social codes, the human condition, our inner voice, and, needless to say, our insights and daily obsessions. Intending to torpedo the ideal in contemporary art, such as irony and parody, her gestures move between fields, at times traveling along the boundaries of sculpture and painting.
About Design Museum Gent
Design Museum Gent is a welcoming meeting place for everyone with an interest in design. Designers, makers, users and dreamers come together to imagine a world that is more beautiful, more sustainable and more thoughtful. Through experimentation, dialogue and collaboration, the museum encourages everyone to discover the power of design and put it into practice.
