index 2026 — bb born to bloom, por cemile sahin 

A visual artist and writer, Cemile Sahin is a masterful storyteller. Her work reflects the synchronicity of contemporary communication, which is heavily reliant on words and images. She works across film, photography, literature and sculpture, taking a critical look at power structures, war and violence. The stories she creates are deliberately elliptical and fragmentary, drawing inspiration from the episodic format of television series and internet videos.

Sahin acknowledges the subjectivity and codification inherent in all narratives, as well as their instrumentalisation by the media and politics in shaping our understanding of history. Her works take on a dizzying rhythm by consciously utilising these media dynamics, drawing viewers towards unexpected and, at times, uncomfortable conclusions. Born in Wiesbaden, Germany, and of Kurdish-Alevi descent, her exhibition work has garnered significant recognition across Europe. Her works are included in the collections of the Museum Ludwig (Cologne), the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, the Kunsthaus Zürich, the Julia Stoschek Collection (Berlin/Düsseldorf), the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art (Turin), the Servais Family Collection (Brussels) and the Federal Republic of Germany’s Collection of Contemporary Art.

In parallel with her exhibition work, Cemile Sahin has published three novels. The first, Taxi, was published in 2019 and won her the German Alfred Döblin Literary Prize. This was followed by Alle Hunde Sterben (All Dogs Die, 2020) and Kommando Ajax (2024), the latter of which was shortlisted for the Vienna Literature Prize. In 2025, she was awarded the Erich Fried Literary Prize. The INDEX 2026 exhibition at gnration presents two recent works by the artist: ROAD RUNNER (2025) and BB – Born to Bloom (2025).

bb — born to bloom

In BB — Born to Bloom, Sahin continues to explore the intersection between war and nature, themes that have long been part of her artistic language. The artist investigates how nature becomes not only a theatre of armed conflict, but also a tool of military strategy: landscapes are transformed into barriers, natural resources become causes for war, and forests serve as camouflage. Nature itself also carries a collective identity, making it a target for psychological warfare. In this collection of works, Cemile Sahin depicts different yet historically linked topographies — Switzerland and Kurdistan. On the LED screens, Sahin bombards us with bold, almost poster-like images that ultimately invert: the Swiss Alps are revealed as a military installation brimming with bunkers and serving as an arena for tank exercises; on the other hand, the Kurdish mountain ranges emerge as a land that sustains life, as well as cultural heritage, and embodies long-awaited freedom.

supported by portuguese republic – culture, youth and sports / general direction of the arts. portuguese contemporary art network (rpac). rtcp – network of portuguese theaters and cinemas.