(25 October-2 November 1989)

32 sculptures of Köker have been exhibited.

“Rabia is a strong and successful woman… Successful women know which relationship they draw strength from when choosing them, and there is due in these relationships: taking risks and demanding. All successful women are alike. Strong women have demands on life, on themselves, and their relationships. Their lives take shape according to these demands. As Rabia is a gallerist who has demands on art, artist, and society – despite everything – she has been successfully running a gallery for up to 40 years. The passion of demanding women is very lively. They risk everything in the path of passion; sometimes they are submissive to their loved ones, but sometimes they may ignore relationships that they see as a threat to their passions and demands. Rabia's perspective on art and artists is like a mother's relationship with her children. She aims to form an artistic dialogue. She brought well-known artists who had something valuable to say and young artists together in the afternoon meetings at the gallery. I met Sezer Tansuğ, Ömer Uluç, Adnan Çoker and many others there. I have developed very close relationships with some of them. She always enjoyed young people getting influenced in an artistic environment. That also adds an authoritarian attitude to her affectionate personality. Or, I would have perceived it so. A figure that you both fear and love; like an unpermissive mother. Rabia is like that for artists. When children grow up, they fly out of the nest, and they gain a grateful approach much later when they grow older. This is difficult for mothers. Maybe Rabia sometimes felt similar feelings. The most important feature of strong women is that they continue on their way as if nothing happened. They experience disappointment, but this feeling does not deter them from their path. There is no mathematical measure of women's power and authority, no measure not with prizes, money, status or fame cannot be measured for they are temporary. It is measured by symbolic values. Like long-term and cooperative friendships with other women. Rabia knows this very well and her relationships with her woman artist friends have been going on for years. In this group, I met Candeger Furtun, Seyhan Topuz, and Bilge Alkor, and although I am rarely in Istanbul, I am still deeply connected to these friends. The measure of being a strong woman is not being independent of everything and everyone. On the contrary, it is willingly and consciously to connect with other female authorities; This is what makes a woman strong. Rabia takes care of these relationships selflessly. Strong women are not afraid to be the first in their field and take risks. MAG is one of the first galleries to open conceptual art exhibitions with installations and video arts. This shows that Rabia Çapa has established strong relationships with foresighted people whom she can consult or be influenced by in a solid dialogue, and these relationships are built with a sense of trust. I think Rabia is not afraid of being influenced by someone stronger than herself. On the contrary, she repeatedly expresses her admiration and gratitude towards them. I do not write this because I know her very well, but I have witnessed many times how she speaks with gratitude and admiration of her friends and the great masters who are no longer alive. Strong women are not afraid of being influenced. Nowadays, new young artist group exhibitions and contests are launching in museums and galleries. However, as Rabia Çapa was celebrating the 20th anniversary of MAG in 1996, she said: “Youth is a new breath, brand-new energy and a good opportunity to show what they are going to do. There can be good or bad exhibitions, I think this is not important. The important thing is what they will do and that we see and experience them together. We will be happy if we can catch the artists of tomorrow among these sixteen young people. By the way, I would like to thank the artists, audiences, and supporting organizations who have contributed to the gallery for twenty years. 'A strong woman is a woman who knows how to say thank you.

Good luck Rabia. Glad you chose this path in your life.
Getting to know you is beautiful. Thank you, Rabia!”

Azade Köker (03.05.2016)