Playground by Ayse Ozaydin and Deniz Ozaydin (Sept 22- Nov 3, 2026)

Playground brings together the distinct practices of photographer Ayşe Özaydın and choreographer Deniz Özaydın in an interdisciplinary video work where movement, image, space, and play intersect. Produced at the invitation of PASAJ as part of the Small Things Studio Residency, the work takes Maurizio Cattelan’s phrase “Failure is my favorite color” as its point of departure, approaching failure not as an interruption of the creative process, but as an essential part of it.

At the heart of Playground is a simple question: what happens to our capacity for play as we grow older? During the residency, the artists transformed the studio into a playground: a space for experimentation, movement, repetition, mistakes and beginning again. Freed from the expectation of getting things “right,” photography and choreography meet in a shared language of curiosity, allowing the unexpected to become part of the work itself.

Presented for six weeks on a dedicated screen in SUB Karaköy’s lobby bar, Playground moves beyond the conventional exhibition space and enters the everyday rhythm of the hotel. Appearing amid arrivals, conversations, pauses and encounters, the work invites guests to stop even briefly and rediscover something adulthood so easily leaves behind: the freedom to experiment without knowing the outcome, to make mistakes, and simply to play. The installation is on view from September 22 through November 3.