Consuming art in the periphery: Core values of art collectors in Southern Türkiye

This study examines the value orientations underlying art collecting in the Çukurova region through Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and naturalistic observations, it conceptualises art collecting as a multidimensional form of cultural consumption situated at the intersection of cultural, emotional, and social dynamics. Five core value orientations emerged inductively from the data: cultural capital and aesthetic distinction, self-discovery and emotional connection, aesthetic self-presentation and identity construction, social contribution and cultural development, and cultural heritage preservation. Collectors distinguished art from everyday consumption, supported emerging artists, and regarded collections as resources for future generations. By examining a peripheral art world beyond Istanbul and Ankara, the study extends Consumer Culture Theory by demonstrating how collecting under peripheral cultural conditions extends beyond symbolic consumption to encompass cultural mediation, regional cultural development, and heritage preservation. It further introduces the concept of compensational habitus to identify a specific developmental trajectory in which early aesthetic orientations initially constrained by limited opportunities for cultural access subsequently develop, through increased access and sustained engagement with art, into durable collecting practices, aesthetic competence, and cultural responsibility.