Fragile Alliance: The 2nd Commagene Land and River Art Biennial

Fragile Alliance: The 2nd Commagene Land and River Art Biennial
Kâhta, Adıyaman, Turkey | August 23 – October 7, 2025

The 2nd edition of the Commagene Land and River Art Biennial will take place from August 23 to October 7, 2025, in Kâhta, Adıyaman, Turkey. Titled Fragile Alliance, this unique biennial continues to be the only art event in Turkey specifically devoted to river and land art. Curated by Ayça Okay, the program offers a critical platform for examining the entangled relationship between humanity and nature—this year focusing on the Euphrates River as both a subject and a symbol.

Building on its original themes of ecological disruption, dam construction, climate crisis, and species displacement, the biennial now turns its attention to a speculative and timely question: What if the Euphrates River were recognized as a legal person? This idea forms the conceptual core of Fragile Alliance, referencing real-world precedents such as the legal personhood granted to the Whanganui River in New Zealand and the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers in India.

In Turkey, a petition was submitted to the Grand National Assembly in 2023 to consider granting the Euphrates similar legal recognition. The biennial picks up this moment as a point of departure, sparking interdisciplinary dialogue about environmental justice, legal frameworks, and cultural responsibility. Through exhibitions, public programs, and research-driven activities, the event invites the public to rethink nature not as a resource to be managed, but as a coexistent being with its own rights, rhythms, and demands.

Set against the backdrop of the Lukianos Museum Islands—structures that became isolated following the construction of the Atatürk Dam—the biennial grounds itself in a layered landscape rich in memory and meaning. These islands, named after the philosopher Lucian of Samosata, now serve as a living monument to both environmental change and cultural continuity. They offer a powerful site for artists and visitors alike to immerse themselves in a space where history, nature, and speculative futures collide.

Fragile Alliance borrows the concept of “alloparenting,” or shared caregiving, as a metaphor for how humans might care for and with nature—not as distant custodians, but as collaborative partners. Rather than perpetuating extractive and dominant attitudes, the biennial advocates for a model of coexistence based on mutual respect, accountability, and deep listening. In this vision, Land Art becomes not just a genre but a gesture—one that synchronizes with the landscape instead of imposing upon it.

Curator Ayça Okay shares, “I am very happy and proud to have the opportunity to contribute to the region with Fragile Alliance. In this edition of the Commagene Biennial, we want to emphasize that nature is not a passive entity but an active subject with its own dynamics and unconscious processes, capable of transforming humanity. Rather than seeking to dominate nature, humans should see themselves as part of it and show respect. The alloparenting model helps us to reimagine this relationship as one of solidarity and collaboration.”

The biennial is developed with the support of an advisory board comprising figures from diverse fields including visual arts, architecture, curation, and museum leadership. Among them are Baksı Museum founder and painter Professor Hüsamettin Koçan, architect Nevzat Sayın, Darat al Funun Director Luma Hamdan, artist Cengiz Tekin, artist and curator Shawon Akand, Director of Arts and Culture at Red Sea Global Dalya Islam, and writer-curator Nihat Özdal. While the curator is solely responsible for artistic direction and artist selection, the board contributes to strategic thinking and offers regular feedback to shape the event’s trajectory through collective input.

This year’s edition is designed to generate a space of interdisciplinary exchange. Alongside artistic works, the program will include panels, workshops, and site-specific research, inviting a range of voices into the conversation—from ecologists, legal scholars, and educators to chefs, craftspeople, and local communities. The goal is to go beyond the art world and build a shared language around care, recognition, and ecological imagination.

Curator Ayça Okay, a member of AICA Turkey and CIMAM, has an extensive curatorial practice with a particular focus on cross-cultural and site-responsive projects. Her recent research includes participation in the CRACK International Art Camp in Bangladesh, where she studied the legal personhood of rivers. In addition to her curatorial work at Baksı Museum and Borusan Contemporary, she is actively engaged with institutions such as LOOP Barcelona and Art D’Égypte, and will co-curate the Panoramic Festival in Barcelona in 2025 and 2026.

The list of participating artists will be announced soon.