What's on in Istanbul (26 July 2024)
A regular roundup of recommended art and cultural offerings
LAST CHANCE
Emin Barın: Neither You Bow Nor I Stand
Born to an illuminator-and-bookbinder father in the years before the 1928 “Alphabet Revolution” changed Turkey’s language from an Arabic script to a Latin one, Emin Barın went as a young man to Germany, where he studied graphic arts. From this era- and culture-spanning background came one of the country’s most noted modern calligraphers—an artist whose innovative style reflected both his own unique sensibility and broader political and cultural shifts. This retrospective of Barın (who died in 1987 at the age of 74) features his works on paper as well as photographs of some of his Kufic-influenced works in stone, which include the inscriptions at Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s grand mausoleum in Ankara. A small collection of Barın’s personal belongings and artistic materials are set up to evoke the office/cultural center where he hosted artists, collectors, and students for regular salons, creating additional ties between traditional and contemporary arts.
Exhibition runs until 31 July
Artİstanbul Feshane
Yavedut Caddesi, Eyüp (by the Feshane tram stop and Eyüp pier)
Free; open Tue-Sun 10am-8pm
A Crack We Sprout Through (Filizlendiğimiz Bir Çatlak)
On the outskirts of Istanbul, a burial ground known as the cemetery of the kimsesiz—”those who have no one”—is the subject of a moving film and video installation by Leman Sevda Darıcıoğlu. By tending to the graves there, the artist creates a grieving ritual for the victims of “honor crimes,” unaccompanied refugees, trans people, and other marginalized individuals left unidentified or unclaimed in death. Other works in this group exhibition shaped by practices of resistance and struggle include Elif Saydam’s lattice-covered security mirror and decorated plastic shower curtain, part of the artist’s playful engagement with self-orientalism, camp, and diaspora identities.
Exhibition runs until 27 July (tomorrow!)
Sanatorium
Mumhane Caddesi, Laroz Han, No:67/A, Karaköy
Free; open Tue-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun noon-5pm
rezzan gümgüm: my/red lines (kırmızı çizgiler/im)
In a video collage, artist rezzan gümgüm can be seen walking the streets of Ankara, trailing red lines of paint in her wake—documentation of a 2019 performance in which the artist sought to visually manifest the invisible restrictions on thought, movement, identity, and action created by authorities in attempts to control the public. In another set of videos—which the viewer can only peek at from behind red bands stretched taut across the doorway—gümgüm hops and jumps over these painted lines, a piece she calls “tactics for resistance.” The playful protest takes on a sobering note by means of an accompanying text written by artist Marina Papazyan, who reflects on the ongoing devastation of Palestinian lives to remind us how quickly those in power can shift their “red lines” when it suits them.
Exhibition runs until 2 August
Kıraathane İstanbul Edebiyat Evi
Yemenici Abdüllatif Sokak No:1, Asmalı Mescid Mahallesi, Beyoğlu
Free; open Mon-Sat 11am-7pm
ALSO HAPPENING/CLOSING SOON
Long Friday with Lara Di Lara – Alternative music vocalist Lara Di Lara performs an open-air acoustic concert as part of Istanbul Modern’s weekly “Long Friday” event, when the museum stays open until 8pm. 26 July at Istanbul Modern (Tophane İskele Caddesi No:1/1, Tophane). Admission 300 TL; concert at 7pm. TONIGHT!
Prix Pictet: Human – Documentary, portraiture, landscape, and other photographic works by the 12 winners of this year’s Prix Pictet award for photography and sustainability. to 28 July (this Sunday!) at ARTER (Irmak Caddesi No:13, Dolapdere). Admission 200 TL, open Tue-Sun 11am-7pm.
Yabangee Summer Picnic – Join the international community in Istanbul for another potluck picnic. DM for event details. 4 August on the Moda coastline.
İstanbul Festivali – Popular Turkish music acts including Manga, Duman, Mabel Matiz, Mor ve Ötesi, Sertab Erener, and many more hit the stage during this two-week-long festival. from 2 to 18 August at Festival Park Yenikapı (Kennedy Cad. No:46, Yenikapı). Single-day tickets from 400 TL and up, multi-day tickets from 1200 TL and up; festival venue open from 4pm to midnight.
Mehmet Güleryüz: Patterns 1971-2013 – A collection of drawings by one of Turkey’s best-known contemporary painters. to 10 August at The Empire Project (Uzun Hafız Sokak No:79a, Yeldeğirmeni, Kadıköy), open Mon-Fri noon-6pm.
CULTURAL NEWS IN BRIEF
The Odunpazarı Modern Museum (OMM) in Eskişehir will be closed until 8 September for the installation of a new exhibition.
The Sakıp Sabancı Mardin City Museum is temporarily closed while its administration is being transferred to the Turkish Culture Ministry, reportedly as a result of cost-cutting measures by the wealthy family-run holding company that opened it almost two decades ago.
The Çanakkale Biennial has announced the dates 4 October to 11 November for its 9th edition, titled “Let Time Run Its Course.” The biennial will take place in Assos, Bozcaada, Küçükkuyu and the Troas Region as well as the Çanakkale city center.
The Kommagene Biennial will hold its second edition, titled “Rising,” in Adıyaman province from 24 August to 27 October.
Turkish artist Cansu Yıldıran will open a solo show presented by Protocinema that envisions “the possibilities of a migration for a woman,” at the Arts Center at Governors Island in New York City on 5 October.
RECOMMENDED READS (etc.)
A New History of Imagination – Timeless Curiosities at Istanbul Modern reflects on how the advent of technology has altered the fundamental relationship between bodies and places, memories and histories. Alfonse Chiu reviews the exhibition, which closes 11 August, for ArtReview Asia.
A contemporary Istanbul mosque offers a take on tradition – Turkey's Degostudio crafts this Istanbul mosque as a new, functional space for worship with accessible facilities. by Feride Yalav-Heckeroth for Wallpaper*.
Syrian-owned cafe and art center bring Arabic diaspora together in Istanbul – By most counts, Istanbul is home to more than half a million refugees, many of whom are Syrian. In the historic Balat neighborhood, the YOLO Cafe and Art Center offers a performance space for non-Turkish artists, and gathers an audience hungry for live events in Arabic. by Durrie Bouscaren for The World.
Turkish authorities close exhibition on transgender community amid broader LGBTQ+ crackdown – Police officers delivered a notice from a district governor that alleged the show at Depo Istanbul incited the public to hatred. by Ayla Jean Yackley for The Art Newspaper.