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About

Through The Window, which aims to support queer artists from Turkey, the Netherlands, and beyond, to grow through thinking, producing, and having fun together, and to expand its network of interactions, started online in 2020 with support from the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Istanbul. It was organized by Dutch philosopher and writer Simon(e) van Saarloos, artist and LGBTQIA+ rights activist Kübra Uzun, digital media and communications expert Zekican Sarısoy, and photographer and curator Ömer Tevfik Erten, aka ÖTE. With the support of the Prince Claus Fund, Through The Window completed its four iterations (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). Each iteration lasts two months. Through The Window designs online exhibitions, talks, workshops, and parties with a focus on equality, diversity, and togetherness. Through The Window completed its fourth iteration between April and June 2024 with the theme ‘TTW Sees Fire,’ organized by Simon(e) van Saarloos, Zekican Sarısoy, and Kübra Uzun, along with thirty artists.

Kübra Uzun

“Where the window is and where it opens through is as important as the presence of the window itself. Nowadays, being together and moving are more important than ever and Through The Window provides us with the space we need".

Simon(e) van Saarloos

“Through the Window is love. It's the feeling of starting the night at a queer club. It is to come across the works of the artists-to-know at the exhibition lounge that you have visited for a friend. It is to call on your activist friend months later, after having a passionate conversation at an organization months ago although you didn't meet them face to face yet, and simply ask "Would you like to work together?".

Zekican Sarısoy

It should come as no surprise what progress Through The Window has actually achieved so far, as our collective creativity is something that extends over time and evolves regularly. It is a project that emerged as a response to such a crisis of pandemic. Emergencies are a time window where, most of the time, new ideas and opportunities arise into. Although it is beyond the realms of possibility to predict the long-term effects of such growing spaces and awareness, it is crystal clear that the power and influence of people did not scale down during those times. Movements around the world have adapted to get organized remotely; and they still are. They lay their foundations, sharpen their messages and ceaselessly plan their strategies for future; and for those who work in the field of digital media, every breath and every idea turns into something that surprises us, something that we meditate on, and that goes beyond co-working and inspires us.