Salt Galata opens ‘İşi Olmayan Giremez’ exhibition on labor and industry

The new exhibition ‘İşi Olmayan Giremez’ has opened at Salt Galata, exploring the complex relationship between labor, capital, and the transformation of production spaces. The exhibition examines how industrial sites have shifted from urban centers to the peripheries and logistics networks following the global production changes after 1980.

Through various artistic and research-based works, the exhibition analyzes production across multiple scales. Merve Bedir investigates the relationship between humans, machines, and spaces, focusing on the optimization and automation of the worker's body. Kamil Dalkır and Sibel Karadağ examine Istanbul's recycling sites within the context of the global waste economy, highlighting the physical toll on workers processing imported waste from Europe.

Other featured works include Belit Sağ’s study on the privatization and liquidation of the Sümerbank Bakırköy Textile Factory, which connects neoliberal discourse to the physical damage caused by harsh working conditions. Additionally, Dilşad Aladağ explores the transformation of the Simyonoğlu Factory from a national factory into a museum, using official archives and social narratives to examine the tensions involved in such transitions.