Salih Salimoğlu opens 'Deep Sleep' exhibition in memory of children lost in Gaza

Salih Salimoğlu is launching an exhibition called Deep Sleep, featuring 52 pillows on which he wrote the names of 4,500 children who lost their lives in Gaza. During an engaging conversation with Gökay Kalaycıoğlu on Haber Bahane, Salimoğlu shared details about the exhibition.The renowned artist described the significance of the exhibition with these words: "I WROTE THE NAMES OF CHILDREN FROM GAZA ON WHITE PILLOWS" "It's not just the war in Gaza—wars all over the world deeply disturb me. When I kept seeing the deaths of children in Gaza in the news, I was truly distressed. We always say that children are our future... I dedicated this exhibition to all children around the world who have died in wars, especially the children of Gaza. Normally, when we sleep, the pillow is the place where we feel most comfortable, where we lay our heads, drift into dreams, and face our conscience. I collected the names and ages of children aged 0-4 who died in the war from media sources and wrote each name on a white pillow." "DEATHS LOOK LIKE JUST AN IMAGE TO US NOW" "I wanted to display these pillows by hanging them on the walls of the exhibition space. If you ask why I hung them on the wall, it's because deaths have started to look like just an image to us. We watch them on screens, and they have become normalized for us."Famous painter Salih Salimoğlu is opening the Deep Sleep exhibition for the children who lost their lives in Gaza.When asked by Gökay Kalaycıoğlu, "As an artist, as a human being, when you lay your head on your pillow at night and reflect, is your conscience truly at peace?" Salimoğlu responded:"You don't really feel at peace when you can't do anything. Most of these children died with their heads on their pillows. Some were just a week old and never even got to see a pillow. Looking at it from a humanitarian perspective, nearly 5,000 children have been martyred in the past year. These children had no religion, no nationality, and no involvement in any war." "I DON'T SELL MY PAINTINGS TO JUST ANYONE" Salimoğlu stated that he does not sell his artwork to those who buy purely for investment purposes:"Sharing the same emotions, being able to translate emotions into art, is very important. I don't sell my paintings to just anyone. There have been many times when I refused to sell to those who wanted my work only because of my name, without truly understanding the art. Of course, everyone has financial concerns, and artists need to earn money, but thankfully, I have never faced such a struggle in my career."The artist's exhibition, featuring the names of 4,500 children who lost their lives in war, will be open at Yapı Kredi Bomontiada Academy Building from February 24 to March 2.