February 28 Fear and Confrontation Exhibition

After the Cold War, our world experienced wars, massacres and human rights violations besides revolutionary novelties in 1990s. Türkiye also got its share of global tragedies with political crises, economical instabilities and February 28.

The “Fear and Confrontation” exhibition examined February 28 by evaluating it within the global and national context of the time. It analyzed the 1990s chronologically on the scales of the world, Türkiye, and the February 28 process, alongside iconic images of the time. In the exhibition, the need for controntation was stressed through examples of human rights violations and Islamophobic attacks since February 28, 1997.

Focusing on the stories during coup of February 28, the exhibition offered a chance to interact with victims’ belongings and their stories at first hand. It also exhibited the most important actors of the time, newspapers that are now remembered in shame.

Recreation of the newspapers of the time with provocative questions and printing styles enabled a confrontation from all sides after 25 years of trauma.

Held by the Directorate of Communications, Fear and Confrontation opened its doors to visitors between February 28 and March 25 in Beyoğlu Municipality İstiklal Art Gallery. While being visited by thousands of people, the exhibition also reached hundreds of thousands of people through virtual exhibition tours and traditional/social media.