The artistic event themed “War and Migration” organized by the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture of Istanbul Medeniyet University was held at the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) on 30 November 2025. The event featured works from our departments of Performing Arts, Visual Communication Design, Turkish Music, and Film Design.
The play “Kara Leke” (The Dark Stain)—written by our Head of the Performing Arts Department, Assoc. Prof. Rüstem MÜRSELOĞLU, directed by our student Kubilay ERDELİKARA, with Berat BEYOĞLU serving as assistant director and dramaturg, and performed by Batuhan KARTAL, Batuhan Yiğit ATAGÜL, Cem KAYA, Mustafa GÜRBÜZ, Efe Can KARAKAYA, and Elif ÖZTAŞ—was staged at the Atatürk Cultural Center’s Türk Telekom Opera Hall. The play highlighted the 1944 Ahıska (Meskhetian) Deportation, emphasizing the devastation of war and displacement, and underlining the importance of remembering the genocide. In the opening speech, Yahya KEMALOĞLU, President of the Ahıska Volunteer Educators Association, stated that Kara Leke is the first theatrical work to address this topic in the 81-year history of the deportation and described it as “a cultural vigil of memory.”
Attended by our University’s Rector Prof. Dr. Gülfettin ÇELİK, Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Fatih SARIOĞLU, Secretary-General Ali Ramazan TAK, our Faculty Dean Prof. Dr. Ubeydullah SEZİKLİ, faculty members, students, and external guests, the performance received a standing ovation and left a strong impression on the audience.
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