As part of our university's 20th anniversary celebrations and on the third anniversary of the February 6 earthquakes, the "Unshakable Memory: Antakya" International Mail Art Exhibition, prepared by the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design (GSTF) at Kastamonu University, met with art enthusiasts.  

Our deans, academic staff, students, representatives from public institutions and organizations, and invited guests attended the exhibition opening.  

In his opening speech, GSTF Dean Prof. Erol Yıldır stated that the earthquakes on February 6 left deep scars on society, emphasizing that the pain experienced found meaning not only in numbers but also in collective memory and testimony. Emphasizing that art plays an important role in such social memory processes, Yıldır stated that the exhibition offers a meaningful meeting space in this regard.  

Following her, the curator of the exhibition, Dr. Sofia Cihan Canbolat, a faculty member of the Department of Graphic Design at GSTF, stated that the exhibition was prepared in the context of our university's 20th anniversary and the third anniversary of the February 6 earthquakes.  Stating that the exhibition was conceived as an expression of remembrance, not forgetting, and witnessing, Canbolat said that the work, prepared with Antakya as its center, made visible through art the destruction, losses, and solidarity experienced by the 11 provinces affected by the earthquakes.  

Canbolat stated that approximately 350 artists participated in the exhibition, with over 400 works, including 60 from abroad, and expressed that this intense interest shows that the events are not forgotten and that a sense of common solidarity continues. Emphasizing that each work in the exhibition carries a mark, a stamp, and a testimony, Canbolat concluded his speech with the words, "Antakya and 11 provinces were shaken, but our memory was not shaken."  

After the speeches, thanks were given to the academics, students, and all stakeholders who contributed to the exhibition's preparation.