For over 3,500 years, since 1500 BCE, the peoples of Anatolia, the northern Black Sea, the Iran-Mediterranean basin, and Western Thrace have woven their lives together—from the Persian Empire to the Ottomans, across empires and eras.

This deep, centuries-long sharing has shaped everything: the flavours in our kitchens, the rhythms in our music, the stories told at weddings and funerals, the patterns in our rugs, the hands that craft our tools. Walk through this land, and you'll hear words that sound different but mean the same thing—so deeply rooted that only linguists can trace where they truly began.

As the Helikon Contemporary Art Association, we've started a new, long-term journey: inviting artists from our neighbours to bring their art to Turkey. Our first stops? Iranian artists in 2019, Ukrainian artists in 2021—all creating and exhibiting their work right here at the Helikon Art Center. In 2026, Helikon Art Center invites Armenian artists to be a part of "Neighbour's country – neighbour's culture" project.