Exhibition tells stories of Türkiye’s pioneering women

ISTANBUL

The stories of Türkiye’s 20 most-respected women, from Afet İnan, one of the first history professors, to Nüzhet Gökdoğan, the founder of modern astronomy in the country, have converged in the "Pioneer Women of the Republic" exhibition.

After years of working as a journalist, Özlem Özdemir, the exhibition's curator, realized that the stories of these pioneering women of modern Türkiye were not adequately visible in the media or history pages.

Believing that the stories of these women must be passed on to future generations, Özdemir has been contributing to books and biographies that narrate the lives of pioneering women since 2017. Now, in honor of the 100th year of the Turkish Republic, she has brought together the stories of 20 pioneering women, including Kamile Şevki Mutlu, who established the field of pathology in Türkiye, mathematics professor Selma Soysal, rally champion Samiye Cahid Morkaya and veterinarian Sabire Aydemir, apart from Gökdoğan and İnan.

The exhibition opened on Oct. 27 at the Artopol Art Gallery located in Maslak 42 in Istanbul and will continue until Nov. 2.

"We came up with the idea for this exhibition with the support of Açık Holding in the 100th year of the Republic. It's a historical exhibition with four sections. It features 20 pioneering women from different professions, and it includes comprehensive biographies and photographs," Özdemir stated.

Özdemir pointed out that even the most well-known historian and Atatürk's adopted daughter, İnan, had lesser-known aspects to her life, sharing an anecdote about İnan's pioneering role for female appearance in society.

"In 1929, while she was teaching at a school, she organized a mock election to teach her students about political rights. The students elected a girl as the mayor. However, one of her male students stood up and said, 'No, this girl cannot be the mayor because women do not have the right to vote or be elected.' When İnan heard this, it greatly disheartened her. She said, 'As women, I will quit teaching until we obtain our rights,'" Özdemir shared.

Morkaya, often touted as Türkiye’s first female rally driver and rally champion, is also highlighted in the exhibition. She is believed to be the first woman in Türkiye to hold a driver's license as well.

"During the 1930s, when cars were just starting to become a part of our lives, Morkaya’s husband, who was a car enthusiast, bought a car for their family. Her husband also bought a car for Morkaya. She became the only female chauffeur on the streets of Istanbul in 1932," Özdemir explained.

The exhibition also features memories and photographs of Belkıs Celal Özdoğan, one of Türkiye’s first female physicists, Dilhan Eryurt, an astrophysicist and architect Leman Tomsu, among others.