Merve Gül Özokcu is an architect and researcher based in Istanbul, Turkey. She is a member of the collectives Arazi Collective och Architecture for All Association.
In Turkey, she has been part of projects involving the transformation of rural buildings into spaces for women and children, as ways to re-posses public spaces and create alternative spaces for education.
Merve Gül Özokcu was invited to share her research and practice in connection to the exhibition Unfinished Histories and The Fittja Kitchen Cookbook in collaboration with Abir Boukhari, Anneli Bäckman and the group Kvinna för Kvinna framåt i Fittja. The ongoing research project Women Narrative Spaces was presented at the Archive in Botkyrka Konsthall.
Women Narrative Spaces
6 April – 31 May, 2022
Botkyrka Konsthall’s archive
Women Narrative Spaces builds on oral histories and memories in connection to the everyday practices of cooking and eating, and how these are translated into new spaces for collectivity and solidarity. Starting with the story about her grandmother, Merve is shedding light on knowledges and social aspects that are formed within the kitchen and passed on through the generations.
In Botkyrka Konsthall’s archive, Merve’s process-based journey is presented through various collaborations in Turkey and Sweden. In Fittja, she has been meeting and cooking with the women’s group Kvinna För Kvinna Framåt.
Merve was a residence artist at IASPIS (The Swedish Arts Grants Committee) and collaborated with different groups in the Stockholm region, such as Tensta Konsthall Kvinnocafé, Kvinna för Kvinna Framåt in Fittja and Residence Botkyrka. Residence Botkyrka is supported by Botkyrkabyggen.