Banu Cennetoğlu

In ‘BEING SAFE IS SCARY’, Turkish artist Banu Cennetoğlu reflects upon the adversities of the migrant experience, hinting at the extraordinary powers that governments can wield in the guise of protection.

-  Alice Godwin

Poignantly, the opening of her show coincided with the arrest of Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu – the strongest political opponent to Turkey's president, Recep Erdogan - under seemingly spurious charges of corruption and support for terrorism.

At the entrance to Kunsthal Charlottenborg, four towers of golden, letter-shaped balloons herald a somewhat hollow celebration (right?, 2022-ongoing). They respectively spell out articles 21, 22, 23 and 24 from the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights that enshrines the rights of every individual to serve their country, to work in fair conditions and to be entitled to rest, leisure and social security. Over time, the balloons will deflate, their sad remains a monument to the shortcomings of the declaration, which excludes protection for groups like the stateless. Exhibited in Copenhagen, right? is a reminder that the welfare system only extends to those who meet the requirements of Danish citizenship.