What's on: Art of impermanence, photographers on film, and more
A biweekly roundup of art exhibitions, cultural events, and arts and culture news in Istanbul and elsewhere in Turkey.
In the Family of Things at Zilberman Gallery
A poignant sense of impermanence suffuses, and unites, the visually bold and diverse new works by artist Itamar Gov in this solo exhibition, from the neon piece “You & I Are Earth” to the sand-sculpted “43 Tools for the Revolution” and the light and sound installation “When Small Men Start to Cast Big Shadows It Means The Sun is About to Set.” Alluding to the challenges of the present political moment they also create space to imagine its transformation, if only through the inevitable march of time and larger cycles of life and death. Don’t skip Zilberman’s small auxiliary space downstairs, where Gov’s 15-minute film “Letters to Shevik,” based on writings by the artist’s great-grandfather, beautifully blends fragmented memories, ruminations on grief and yearning, and the banal daily details that make up a long life shared.
Exhibition runs until 15 May
Mısır Apartmanı, İstiklal Caddesi No:163
Apts. 10 (3rd floor) and 5 (2nd floor)
Free; open Tue-Sat 11am-7pm
Also on view
Misanthropy (to 9 May) – The talented young artists in this group exhibition appear less misanthropic themselves than critical of, and angry about, the powerful forces driving and profiting off environmental destruction, political chaos, and societal alienation. rast., Şimal Sokak No:3/A, Beyoğlu, open Tue-Sat 11am-7pm.
dots/dashes/dots (to 9 May) – Deniz Aktaş and Tuğçe Diri’s masterful drawings stand out in this small group exhibition of architecturally inspired works. Akbank Sanat, İstiklal Caddesi No:8, Beyoğlu, open Tue-Sat 10:30am-7:30pm.
Atlas of Silence (to 19 April ⏰) – Moody semi-abstract images by photographer Sami Kısaoğlu, who uses analog, instant, and toy cameras. KAIROS Gallery, Meşrutiyet Caddesi No:61, 2nd floor, Beyoğlu, open Tue-Sat noon-7pm.
yedionyedi (to 24 April) – A collection of works by 17 artists who have previously exhibited at Martch Art Project to mark the gallery’s seventh anniversary. Akaretler Sıraevler, Süleyman Seba Caddesi No:37–39, Beşiktaş, open daily 11am-7pm.
Like Being Reborn (to 27 April) – A mixed bag of works by 20 independent artists populates the weathered rooms of the shuttered Phanar Ioakimion Greek High School for Girls. Tevkii Cafe Mektebi Sokak No:10, Balat, open daily 11am-5pm.
Coming up in May
FILM: Photographer (2 to 25 May) – A screening series of documentaries about master photographers along with the film classics Rear Window and Blow-Up. Pera Museum, Meşrutiyet Caddesi No:65, Beyoğlu; tickets 170 TL.
ART: border_less Art Book Days (9 to 11 May) – A showcase of art publishing and art book-making. Open from 4-7pm on 9 May and 12-7pm on 10 and 11 May at Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat, İstiklal Caddesi No:161, Beyoğlu; free.
FESTIVAL: Foodiefest (10 May) – Taste the offerings from 50+ food stands accompanied by performances by music groups including Ayhan Sicimoğlu & Latin All Stars, Mavi Gri, and Selin. From 1pm at Life Park, Bahçeköy Caddesi No:114, Sarıyer; tickets start at 432 TL (entrance only).
MUSIC: Antalya Akra Jazz Festival (14 to 31 May) 🚗 – Contemporary jazz, funk, rock, Latin, soul, pop, and world music at an open-air venue in Antalya, including concerts by Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, American guitarist Charlie Hunter, and Turkish pianist Fazıl Say. Akra Hotel, Lara Caddesi No:24, Antalya.
MUSIC: Kings of Convenience (28 May) – The indie-folk duo from Bergen, Norway, performs at KüçükÇiftlik Park. Doors open 6pm, concert starts at 10pm, Kadırgalar Caddesi No:4, Şişli; tickets from 1500 TL and up.
Cultural news in brief
Restoration work is set to begin on the Hagia Sophia’s famous domes, including replacing their worn lead coverings and upgrading their steel framework to reinforce the Byzantine-era building against the constantly looming threat of earthquakes.
Mahir Polat, the force behind Istanbul’s culture-heritage restoration efforts, has been released to house arrest as a result of outcry over his declining health while Kültür A.Ş. General Manager Murat Abbas was released under judicial control. Both were jailed as part of what is widely seen as politically motivated targeting of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who remains in prison.
Artist and academic Murat German was detained overnight on an arrest warrant that appears to have been issued due to his support for economic boycotts organized by student groups and Turkey’s political opposition.
Deputy parliament speaker Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a leading figure in the pro-Kurdish political movement with a previous career in the cinema industry, is in intensive care due to a life-threatening heart condition.
Architecture students at Istanbul Technical University wrote an open letter to alumni Han Tümertekin, who led the restoration of Bomontiada among other projects, criticizing his decision to accept an appointment to the Turkish Presidency’s Culture and Arts Policy Board amid the ongoing repression of student-led protests.
A fire broke out on the Büyükada set of the popular TV drama Şakir Paşa Ailesi, killing one crew member.
Recommended reads etc 📚🎥
“Queer artists must respond to the onslaught alone—unfunded, unprotected, and left to rely entirely on each other,” Kaya Genç writes in a moving review for ArtForum of the performance piece Above the Clouds: Underground by İrem Aydın and Seçil Epik.
Students at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSÜ) in Istanbul recently staged a runway show on the theme of “Resistance” with creative costumes riffing on ongoing protests, ranging from Lady Justice to Pikachu to a box of the antacid tablets commonly made into a solution to wash out pepper-sprayed eyes. Check out the video via Fatma Akman’s “Turkey: Lost in Translation” newsletter.
The new documentary Vibe Istanbul, which premiered at the Istanbul Film Festival this week, “dives into over four decades of sonic resistance, tracing how post-1980s youth in Türkiye used music and nightlife to push back against a rigid world, creating their own space—loud, late and unapologetically free,” Dilara Özer writes for Hürriyet Daily News.
As previously noted in this newsletter, TV stars in Turkey are increasingly under pressure from the government; Burak Ünveren looks at the actors “in the crosshairs of politics” for DW, examining why this is happening now and what it might indicate.
The centuries-old practice of spolia architecture in Rome—also seen in Istanbul, with Byzantine elements incorporated in Ottoman mosques, for example—could be “a model of the sort of recycling that is key to a sustainable global economy and building sector,” Philip Kennicott and Naema Ahmed write for The Washington Post.