A Place of Welcome: Kameron Locke’s Performance in Tarabya

On January 24 and 25, fellow Kameron Locke transformed the garden of the historic summer residence of the German Ambassador into a site of artistic creation. With Welcome, he presented a performance and installation work developed during his residency at the Tarabya Cultural Academy.

Shaped by his engagement with James Baldwin and Baldwin’s longing for a place that could hold all facets of his identity, as well as by Locke’s own experiences of belonging and exclusion, the work explores the concept of welcome as both an individual and a societal experience.

The outdoor installation and performance investigates what it means to be welcomed — to be received in one’s fullness, without conditions or the rejection of aspects such as gender, race, sexuality, nationality, religion, or social status. Unfolding through sound, scent, language, and touch, the work invites visitors to experience welcome as an embodied and sensory encounter.

Across the two consecutive performance days, around 50 guests took part in Locke’s performance and explored the installation.