Deftere Düşen Sabah lşığı
 

“I asked myself: Where did these trees come from?

I love walking. I don’t think I pay much attention to people when I’m walking around the city (I’ve only just realized this). The tree trunks at eye level catch my attention more; I don’t think I look at their leaves or fruit, either. Each has a different texture, a different history. Most have been damaged, altered from the outside, pruned, fallen ill—even some are close to dying: their surfaces covered with karadaladın fungus. That’s the only way I can tell they’re close to death. Some are bent over; some make all kinds of movements against gravity; some keep going, tearing through the wires people have planted. Some grow—or try to grow—within the space people have allotted them; some trunks are riddled with holes, full of cavities. We fill the cavities so that more bacteria can’t get in; we seal them up. These are the things I think about as I work.”*

*Note written by Dündar to Curator Abıyeva on February 12, 2026.
 

Preparations for the exhibition began in early 2025, while Dündar was still alive. At the request of Dündar, their family, and those close to them, the exhibition is being brought to life in 2026 as originally planned.