Emanet derives etymologically from Aramaic dating back to 1200 BCE, and originates from the Semitic root ‘amn’, conveying notions of trust, faithfulness and belief. Emanet speaks to the act of “giving” without seeking material gain, of caring without possessing, and of preserving. It argues that the essence of our shared humanity is a bond grounded in mutual trust.

Emanet is a notion that resonates across a broad geography and transcends religions and languages. As geography shapes and is shaped by destiny, emanet is intertwined with the fate of this land, scarred by migrations, wars and devastations throughout history. This land has nurtured stories of renewal and rebirth that have shaped the collective memory of humanity.

Troy is the meeting point of East and West or the boundary between Asia and Europe. It is the final stop of the East or the first stop of the West. It is where seas intersect and reunite. In Troy, love loses against war, wrath against mercy, and desire for immortality loses against surrendering.

In Homer’s Iliad, the destructive power of wrath, the inevitability of fate, the allure of prophecy, and the irresistible desire of immortality are entrusted to the memory of humanity. Today, when we look again at this 3,000-year-old epic, we see that nothing at our core has changed. Just as Achilles 3,000 years ago chose to go to war despite knowing he would die—driven by his desire for immortality—today, that same desire has led to the emergence of artificial intelligence. AI has become a modern reflection of Achilles’ desire to be remembered after death; it embodies the desire to preserve one’s existence through memory beyond death.

While thinking about what it means to safeguard the emanet, The Iliad led me to the narrative of the 12th-century Persian poet Feridüddin Attar’s, The Conference of the Birds. Inspired by the hoopoe who guides the journey in the text, I wandered through the seven mysterious valleys mentioned in the poem, descended from Mount Qaf, emerged from the cool waters of Dardanelles, and set out in search of the path leading to the ocean— immortality’s final shore.

This exhibition, while embracing Troy, is my effort to question our connections with life, nature, history and ourselves through the perspectives that emanet brings.