Grant supporting Galata Rum Okulu

In 2018 the Schwarz Foundation offered a grant to Galata Rum Okulu for the Istanbul based exhibition

206 Rooms of Silence: Etudes on Prinkipo Greek Orphanage

Artists : Ali Kazma, Dilek Winchester, Murat Germen, Hera Büyüktaşcıyan

Galata Greek School hosted the 206 Rooms of Silence: Etudes on Prinkipo Greek Orphanage exhibition between 9th October – 10th November 2018.

The exhibition focused on Prinkipo Greek Orphanage which is considered as one of the “7 World Heritage in Danger” by Europa Nostra, a non-governmental organisation known by its work on the protection of the cultural heritage. The exhibition opened a door to the reminiscence of this memory space which is the biggest wooden building in Europe, the work of famous architect Alexandre Vallaury (1850-1921). The structure has witnessed many incidents from past to present, in a way has kept a record of social history. Although this majestic building seems to have been buried in silence with all its memories, it keeps reminding us what has been forgotten and what will soon be disappeared, standing tall on the hill it rests.

Galata Greek School, where the exhibition was on display, nearly shared the same destiny with Prinkipo Greek Orphanage. The exhibition told the transformation of Prinkipo Palace to a home that embraced the orphans of Istanbuls Greek community and to a ghost building as a result of political and social events against the minorities.

Artworks that shed light on the history with verbal testimonies, documentary and visual documents to convey the presence of a school to another by Ali Kazma, Murat Germen, Dilek Winchester and Hera Büyüktaşcıyan based on Prinkipo Greek Orphanage took place in the exhibition curated by Hera Büyüktaşcıyan.

Another part of the project included discussions, readings and workshops on the axis of cultural heritage, memory and orphanage: Various activities were organised within the framework of the practices the Greek community has been exposed to, the legal status of the orphanage, philanthropy, orphanage experiences of other minority communities, along with the evacuation of the orphanage in 1964 and the transfer of children to another centre. Additionally, there were film screenings and series of conversations as part of the Open School Library.

206 Rooms of Silence, Etudes on Prinkipo Greek Orphanage invites us to walk through the corridors of this school of life, which includes the invisible layers of city history, and look to the past through the lens of the present.

The exhibition was held under the auspices of the Ecumenical Greek Patriarchate of Istanbul and was a parallel event to 4th Istanbul Design Biennial.