May I Be Here? | 2021- ongoing | 3 video performances, an object and collages

May I Be Here? originated from exploring public space ownership, drawing on shared urban transformation narratives in Istanbul and Berlin. It was inspired by how the construction industry imitates the survival strategies of wild weeds that push through cracks in concrete and cobblestones to claim space.

Originally conceived as a public intervention at Zoologischer Garten U-Bahn station, the work evolved into a series of performances after the installation was not approved. In construction worker clothing, Umut Azad Akkel returned to the site repeatedly, moving from confrontation with security to eventual acknowledgement by the same guards.

Developed last, the object merges two forms: the installation as it was originally planned, and the form that emerged from performing it with his body.