What's on in Istanbul (12 July 2024)
A regular roundup of arts and culture-related events and news
Culture in the Crosshairs
Sometimes what’s not on is as important – or more so – than what is. After a tenth year of government bans on Pride-related activities, and amid an increasingly repressive climate for LGBTQ+ people in Turkey, the cultural space DEPO announced yesterday that it had been forced to immediately close an exhibition on trans rights activism.
The exhibit, “Turn and See Back: Revisiting Trans Revolutions in Turkey,” was organized by the 10th Trans Pride Week Exhibition Collective and included newspaper clippings, protest banners, video footage and photographs from decades of social struggles. It opened in June as part of Trans Pride Week and had been scheduled to run until 27 July.
The closure came as a result of a ban issued by the Beyoğlu District Governorate, which like all other province- and district-level governorates (valilikler and kaymakamlıklar) is headed by an unelected state appointee. Though political pressure and even attacks against the arts are not new, sometimes resulting in self-censorship, an outright ban on an exhibition has not been seen in some time, as art writer Kültigin Kağan Akbulut pointed out, calling for the cultural community to take a stand against the decision.
Established by jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala’s nonprofit organization Anadolu Kültür in Istanbul’s Tophane neighborhood, DEPO is widely regarded as one of the few arts and culture spaces in Istanbul to regularly host exhibitions addressing politically sensitive topics like the Armenian genocide and Kurdish rights. DEPO said in its statement that it would appeal the ban through legal channels.
Also in the cultural-war crosshairs is the beloved Istanbul-based community radio station Açık Radyo (“Open Radio”), which announced last week that its broadcast license had been revoked by the government after a guest on one of its programs spoke about the 1915 genocide of Armenians. An administrative court ruled in the station’s favor this week, and the largely volunteer-run, listener-supported Açık Radyo is so far continuing with its wide range of music, news, and cultural programming during its ongoing legal battle to stay on air.
Lending a Helping Hand through Art
After a devastating event like last year’s earthquakes in southeastern Turkey, where many are still struggling to access basic services, art might seem awfully frivolous. That’s apparently what student Ayşenur Sağır thought when the Turkish charity Ahbap Derneği organized a series of art workshops at her high school in Adıyaman, one of the provinces hardest-hit by the disaster, ahead of final exams this past May.
“To be honest, at first I thought it would be a waste of time, but the workshop was really fun for me and took my mind off the exam,” Ayşenur wrote in a statement hung next to a ceramic piece she created that is currently on display at Müze Gazhane in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district until 18 July.
The exhibition of student-made ceramics, paintings, and nature photographs resulting from the workshop has been put together by Ahbap to draw attention to – and raise money for – ongoing needs in the earthquake region, where the groups’ volunteers were among the early responders to the disaster.
“We wanted to draw attention to the need for psychosocial support of students, who had difficulty with their exams due to the traumatic effects of the earthquake,” Ahbap project coordinator Tuğba Serbest Bıçak told me. “We aimed to introduce students to the therapeutic properties of art and to support them in acquiring a new hobby.”
A total of 70 students participated in the Adıyaman workshops, which will be organized in other affected provinces in the new school year, according to Serbest Bıçak. After the exhibition at Gazhane, the students’ work will be offered for sale online on Ahbap Market for a minimum price of 3000 TL, with proceeds going to Ahbap’s work rebuilding schools that were destroyed or damaged by the earthquakes.
While at Gazhane, have a look at the handicrafts for sale as part of the Enstitü İstanbul İSMEK “Encounters” festival (to 19 July) and the ongoing exhibition of artworks made with recycled/waste materials or touching on environmental themes from last month’s Upcycle Istanbul festival (in the P Gallery until 28 July, open 10am to 6pm).
Outdoor Activities
Open-air film screenings – Oscar nominees and other recent Turkish and international films are being screened under the stars at Küçükçiftlik Park in Şişli and the Istanbul Yacht Club in Fenerbahçe. Tickets available online; films are in their original language with Turkish subtitles.
Picnic in the park – The community platform Yabangee is hosting a potluck picnic in Maçka Park in Şişli on 21 July. DM them for details.
Recommended Reads
Özlem Warren on why Turkish food is great for vegetarians – Featuring an array of fruit, veg and nuts, Turkish cuisine isn’t just for meat-lovers. In her new book, Özlem Warren celebrates the vegetarian dishes of her homeland. interview by Caroline Morrish for National Geographic Traveller (UK).
The Politics of Culture in Contemporary Istanbul – A short academic piece I missed when it came out last year that puts the debates around last summer’s Feshane exhibition in some historical context. by Timur Hammond for the UC Press Blog.
A new wave of Kurds fleeing Turkey bring their own sound to Music City – Kurdish cultural organizations in Nashville are helping new arrivals to the US feel at home. by Rose Gilbert for WPLN News
What does rose water do? Here's a look at the science – This liquid distilled from rose petals has been used to allegedly cure everything from memory problems to aging, dating back thousands of years. But what do researchers say? by Erin Blakemore with lovely photographs by Rena Effendi of a rose festival in Morocco for National Geographic. (Turkey has its own rose festival in Isparta in late May/early June.)