Turkish mother and son explore politics, death and grief in new Vancouver art show

A new Turkish-inspired art exhibition in Vancouver explores the deathrituals that must be adapted during conflict or civil strife.

Ghost Spring was created by a mother and son who have roots in Turkey.

The political upheaval, failed coup and spate of bloody bombings in Turkey over the past couple of years means thathonouring those who have died involvespoliticalas well aspersonal considerations. The show examines both.

"There's a lot of deaths that have been happening and people are not being able to mourn their dead, saidDeryaAkay, the son in the artistic duo. He added that sometimes families may even be denied the return of a loved one's body.

Derya was born in Turkey but now lives in Vancouver. His mother, Dilara Akay, still lives in Gcek, Turkey, but showcases her work internationally.

"In a way, the Ghost Spring is the coming up of these ghosts from our pasts or from the world and trying to spring them out into life by creating a place where we can remember them," Derya said.

Graves, tombs and shrines arelaid out in the exhibition to representdifferent generations and sectors of society.

The show also includes interactive performances where viewers are invited to commemorate their own "ghosts" by sharing food and rituals together.

Strong messages

An installation on one of the walls pays homage to the Saturday Mothers, a group symbolized by white scarves and red carnations and which protests the death of loved ones in Turkey.

"They are asking about their children or close friends, family members, who are taken by the police and never come back," said Dilara. "They want their bodies, they want to make their funerals. Even the bones are not given to them."

In Turkey, Dilara saidthe messages in Ghost Springwould be much more subtle thanin Vancouver because of the country's political climate.

"We have to do it undercover, we couldn't have such strong references," she said. "It's not easy to do that there."

Ghost Spring opens on Jan. 5 at the Grunt Gallery and runs until Feb. 17.

There are alsoscheduledperformances at Mountain View Cemetery, with the first oneon Jan. 13 .

To hear more, click on the audio link below:

With files from The Early Edition and Margaret Gallagher.