A CHAIR FOR URSULA

^{In April 2020 the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, met the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Upon entering the meeting room it was revealed only two chairs had been set out for the three of them.

Charles Michel seated himself in the chair beside Erdoğan, leaving Von der Leyen seemingly surprised. No Chair was prepared for the woman holding the highest-ranking position in the European Union. After that, she was offered to take a seat on a sofa in the same room, across the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

Representatives of the EU were sent to inspect the location ahead of the meeting, however, access to the meeting room was denied because it was deemed too close to the President's Office.

Ankara sustained that protocol was respected when the EU commission asked about the incident; however, the fact remains, there was no chair for Ursula.

Only a few weeks before the incident Turkey withdraws from the Istanbul Convention.

Behind the politics, the personal beliefs or the motivation of why it happened, I was shocked by such unpoliteness. The act of inviting somebody into your own home and do not grant them a chair to sit in was shocking to me. It is like saying: - You are not welcome.

For this reason, after the event, I went into the workshop and I made a Chair. A Chair for kindness and politeness, a chair for whoever felt un-welcomed in their life.

A Chair for Ursula.}

^{Materials; Special Composite Material}
^{Years; 2021}
^{Typology; Dining Chair}
^{Crafts; Contemporary Stucco}
^{Photo courtesy of Tellurico’s Archive}

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TELLURICO / CAST IRON / EXHIBITION / NEW YORK / EMMA SCULLY GALLERY / LIMITED EDITION / FURNITURE