Our Team

MERVE ŞİMŞEK

After graduating from Atatürk University Food Engineering and Sociology, she completed her master’s degree in Sociology at Beykent University with a thesis on Social Work and Violence. After her engineering studies in the private sector and Turkish Standards Institute, she was appointed as a sociologist to the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of the Ministry of Family and Social Services in 2014. After working at the Violence Prevention and Monitoring Centre in the field of women, she took part in children’s home inspections in Child Services. She is currently working as a project coordinator in the EU, Foreign Relations and Projects Unit of Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services.

TÜRKAY ÇOTUK

In 2011, he graduated from Marmara Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Painting. In 2019, he completed his master’s degree in painting at the same school with his thesis titled “Reproduction of space simulacrum through performative tendencies“.

Awards :

-Akbank Contemporary Artists Award Exhibition Aksanat, Istanbul / Türkiye, 2013

-Siemens Art Borders and Orbits 5-6 Siemens Sanat, Istanbul / Türkiye, 2009

Artist Residency Programs:
-Case Dell’ Arte Gallery Artist Residency Program Bodrum/Türkiye, 2013
-Artist residency program within the scope of the Intercultural Dialogue Organization, Gyumri/Armenia, 2008

Exhibitions and Workshops Attended:

-Seminar and workshop series on the Hikikomori phenomenon, Erasmus +, in cooperation with the Ministry of Family, 2023-2024,
-23. Online Performance Festival, Flow Video Performance, 2022
-Stay LIVE at Home, Live Home Performance No: 48 in collaboration with Performistanbul, 2020
-Evaluations on art production within the scope of the workshop organized by Ai Weiwei, Sakıp Sabancı Museum, 2018
-Contemporary Art in the Open Air / Ströer Kentvizyon Panels, 2016
-Two Pages Project Istanbul 17, 2017

MERVE BAŞ

In 2013, she graduated from Istanbul University, Department of Psychology, and in 2022, she completed her Master’s programme in Social Work at the University of Health Sciences with her thesis titled “The effect of fair world belief and social comparison levels on the subjective well-being of individuals who left institutional care as adults”. After working as a statistical analysis (SPSS) consultant for various academic studies for a while after her undergraduate graduation, she was appointed as a psychologist to the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services in 2015. After working in various institutions in Disability Services and Child Services, she worked as Branch Manager in Istanbul ASHİM Child Services Unit. Finally, she was appointed to Van Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services and continues to work as responsible for the Child Services Unit.

DOÇ.DR. ABDURRAHMAN YILMAZ

In 1995, he graduated from the Turkish Military Academy as a Gendarmerie Lieutenant. On 14 October 2016, he retired on his own request. He completed his master’s degree at Yeditepe University Anthropology Department in 2003 and his doctorate in 2010. In 2020, he became an associate professor. He is currently working as a lecturer at Beykent University, Department of Sociology (English).

He has published articles on international migration, the situation of child migrants in Türkiye, change in Southeastern Anatolia, categorical classification of work accidents, forest crimes and fraud. He contributed to the publication of the book Traces of the Anthropocene (Bağlam, 2023) with a chapter in which he tells a story of the cultural history of human beings.

In addition to these, he has written a multifaceted book on the 1938-60 period, “Türkiye’s least known but most talked about period”, titled Bir Dönem Türkiye: A Guide to Understanding the 1938-60 Period.