Discover this new commission by Istanbul-based artist Gözde İlkin, whose practice explores the stories and memories held within textiles. In Those Who Remember Their Births, İlkin transforms vintage family bedsheets using batik and wire to create flowing, wave-like sculptural forms inspired by the coastline of West Cornwall.
Developed during a Tate St Ives residency at Porthmeor Studios, the work draws inspiration from İlkin’s explorations of the landscapes and social histories of St Ives. Embroidered images and motifs inspired by archival photographs sit alongside contributions from local women, celebrating the lives, labour and communities that have shaped the town across generations.
Working with textiles, embroidery and painting, İlkin reveals how everyday handmade objects can carry stories of belonging, care and collective memory, inviting visitors to consider the enduring connections between people, place and the natural world.
Community collaborations form an important part of the commission, reflecting İlkin's interest in creating artworks through dialogue, shared experience and collective memory.
Those Who Remember Their Births is commissioned by Tate St Ives, curated by Anne Barlow, Director, Tate St Ives with Assistant Curator Dara McElligott. Supported by SAHA.
Local collaborations led by Georgina Kennedy, Curator, Communities and Cassie Penn, Assistant Curator, Communities.
Gözde İlkin, Those Who Remember Their Births, 2026 © Gözde İlkin