At a time when the Turkish government’s decisions are further polarizing Turkish society and simmering the fault lines between secularists and conservatives, Muslims and non-Muslims, Turkey’s capital, Ankara, is slated to host an exhibition that spotlights two issues that touch a nerve: imprisoned Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala and his long-standing efforts to promote interfaith dialogue. 

After its Istanbul debut last year, the globetrotting exhibition, “Shared Sacred Sites,” which highlights interfaith dialogue, is planned to continue at Ankara’s only contemporary art museum, CerModern, from the beginning of November to December 2020. The curation of the Turkey exhibit is partly the result of consultations with Kavala, one of the prominent patrons of artworks and cultural initiatives that serve dialogue. Kavala has been behind bars for more than 1,000 days on flimsy charges that many see as politically motivated. 

After traveling from Marseille’s MuCEM to New York City, Paris, Thessaloniki and elsewhere, “Shared Sacred Sites" debuted in Turkey at Istanbul’s Depo, an art space co-founded in 2008 by Kavala. 

The Turkey part of the exhibition also features photographs from Istanbul's Hagia Sophia, which was turned into a mosque on July 24 amid strong criticism at home and abroad.