Between Tompouce and Baklava
“Tussen Tompouce en Baklava” is the first solo exhibition of Studio Batman, led by interdisciplinary artist and designer Emin Batman.Curated by Hale Albayrak and Havva Mayalizade, the exhibition marks the 60th anniversary of the guest worker agreement between Türkiye and the Netherlands.
At the heart of the exhibition, the iconic desserts of Dutch and Turkish cuisines—tompouce and baklava—serve as powerful metaphors for entangled experiences of belonging. This approach reveals the richness that cultural pluralism can bring.
Through architecture, design, sound, and spiritual symbols, the exhibition makes the layered narratives of migration visible. It invites visitors to contemplate how notions of home and homeland are redefined, how traditions are rearticulated, and how hybrid identities are forged across generations.
Situated at the Van Eesteren Museum, in one of Amsterdam’s historically most diverse neighborhoods, the exhibition establishes a dialogical relationship with its spatial context. In doing so, it not only highlights a pivotal moment in Dutch-Turkish migration history, but also contributes to the city-wide commemorative efforts for Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary, positioning the city as a living archive and a dynamic site of cultural encounter.
About Studio Batman
Founded by Emin Batman, Studio Batman operates at the intersection of architecture, design, spirituality, and social inquiry. With a practice rooted in intercultural dialogue and intersectionality, Batman explores themes of migration, identity, and intersection through material, form, and visual narrative.
This exhibition is also an early step toward Batman’s larger vision: the establishment of a Migration Museum in Amsterdam; a space that would honor migrant histories while serving as a platform for shared futures. “Tussen Tompouce en Baklava” thus creates a space to explore more; a prototype, a proposal, and a provocation.
Central to Studio Batman’s visual identity is the color blue, reclaimed through in-depth research into the shared chromatic traditions of Delft and İznik tiles. This recurring blue, found throughout the exhibition, acts as a visual bridge between cultures, underscoring the possibility of harmony in difference.
Visitors to “Tussen Tompouce en Baklava” will encounter a powerful and multidisciplinary body of work that invites contemplation, challenges assumptions, and ultimately celebrates the rich cultural intersections that shape our shared spaces. Through installations that are both intellectually rigorous and emotionally resonant, Studio Batman offers a transformative experience, an invitation to pass through thresholds, confront layered histories, and imagine new forms of coexistence.
