Yaşamaya Dair - On Living

Fundraiser Exhibition with Down Syndrome Association Turkey (DSD)- Istanbul, 2017

My first exhibition, Yaşamaya Dair, which means “On Living” in Turkish, will always be very special for me: not because it’s my first exhibition, not because it’s a father-son exhibition, but because of what it means as a project. Life and living are at the core of this project, and we tried to reach and impact more lives through this exhibition, especially those that are in need.

The exhibition's title, On Living, is borrowed from a poem with the same name by Nazim Hikmet Ran - as he says, Living is no laughing matter: you must take it seriously.

“Real Friends Don’t Count Chromosomes”

Down Syndrome Association Turkey (DSD)

Disability inclusion is one of the biggest challenges of modern society, and especially in Turkey, people with disabilities struggle to participate in everyday activities. Inclusion, in my opinion, means increased participation in socially expected roles and activities; however, to help them participate we all need to be cognizant of the barriers people with disabilities face. That is why I always asked myself what could I do in my capacity to have an impact.

Empathy comes from knowing someone, and that’s how I started seeing life through the lens of my friend with Down Syndrome. Our friendship helped me be more mindful of this disability and intrigued me in understanding their obstacles. When I got involved with Down Syndrome Association in Istanbul, I saw that there are 3 fundamental problems: lack of governing structure and social support; legal regulations; and financing. I decided personally the starting point for me should be addressing the financing part of this struggle.

Joining our passions and different views on living, me and my father, Tufan Teksoy, opened this joint exhibition to raise funds and awareness, and help the daily lives and education expenses of kids with Down Syndrome.