Nihan Somay

Nihan Somay (Istanbul, 1988) engages in different lines of collaboration through contextualized media such as text, translation, printed material and film.

During the residency period, she is working on two trajectories: an anthology where she reinterprets/transforms the artists’ publications she has produced since 2014 through a process of selection, editing and translation; and a speculative fiction, ANGRIA (working title) which is an intergenerational feminist utopia based on Charlotte Brontë’s time in Brussels, Jean Rhys’ attempt to reinterpret the backstory of Brontë’s Jane Eyre from a decolonial perspective, and the artist communities that came together in Antwerp (some in the actual site where MORPHO operates today). In parallel, she explores The Book Lovers collection of artists’ novels at M HKA on a regular basis.

Along with her personal practice, Nihan has worked with artist collectives KABA HAT and BAÇOY KOOP. She studied Visual Arts at Sabancı University, and then completed the Master of Arts in Public Spheres program at Ecole de design et haute école d'art du Valais in Switzerland. Nihan has participated in exhibitions and performances at Galerie La Box (Bourges), nGbK (Berlin), Tensta Konsthall (Stockholm), and DEPO (Istanbul).

SAHA supports the residency of Nihan Somay. SAHA is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation aiming to enhance the dialogue and visibility of artists, curators, critics, and art initiatives from Turkey within global networks.