What's on in Istanbul (7 September 2024)
A regular roundup of selected art and cultural offerings
It may not feel like autumn just yet, but from the flurry of announcements for new and upcoming exhibitions and events, it’s clear that a fresh arts and culture season is upon us, which means a lot more to cover in this newsletter.
I’m going to be rolling out some new incentives for paid subscribers, starting with exclusive access to a running calendar of arts and culture events I’m creating to help you (and myself!) keep track of what’s going on. I’ll also soon be putting the newsletter archives behind a paywall.
Many thanks to all who’ve subscribed and engaged with this newsletter so far. I appreciate your support, interest, and feedback.
NEW AND NOTABLE
Chiharu Shiota: Between Worlds
Curator Öykü Özsoy Sağnak first became familiar with Chiharu Shiota’s work the same way I did: inside the Japanese Pavilion at the 2015 Venice Biennale, for which the artist created a intricate web of red yarn, its strands dangling 50,000 keys gathered from around the world over the weathered hulls of two fishing boats.
Shiota has produced a similarly striking installation for her new show at Istanbul Modern, where visitors are invited to walk through a red-yarn labyrinth that envelops battered suitcases. Like “The Key in the Hand” at the Japanese Pavilion, “Between Worlds” alludes to themes of migration – the Osaka-born Shiota has long lived in Berlin – while also creating a sense of being inside the living machine that is the human body. Trite, perhaps, to suggest that we’re all the same under the skin, but effective.
Exhibition runs until 20 April 2025
İstanbul Modern
Tophane İskele Caddesi No:1 (by the Tophane tram stop)
Open Tue-Sun 10am-6pm, Fri until 8pm (last entry 30 mins prior)
Admission 300 TL for residents of Turkey
States of Earth
“We are all connected” is also a throughline for a new group exhibition featuring artists working on ecological themes – and often with ecologically based materials. I loved Sibel Horada’s new sculptures (above) made from styrofoam pieces washed up by the sea; Cengiz Tekin’s wryly multilayered photographic work; Berna Dolmacı’s large-scale landscape collage utilizing scrap paper and organic dyes; Begüm Mütevellioğlu’s stained glass; and Rozelin Akgün’s elegant and thought-provoking work with biomaterials. This is definitely a show that will bear revisiting.
Exhibition runs until 30 March 2025
Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat
İstiklal Caddesi No: 161
Open Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 12-7pm
Osman Bozkurt: Remember
Working primarily with construction and demolition debris, artist Osman Bozkurt’s sculptures, photographs, videos, and installation pieces in this new solo show prompt contemplation not only about the relentless pace of change in our urban environment but also about what gets left behind for future civilizations to undercover and how we preserve and interpret the past.
Exhibition runs until 26 October
Merdiven Art Space
Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi, Muran Han No: 31A, Fındıklı
Open Tue-Sat 11am-7pm
Other New Openings and Events 🎨 🎼
ART: Urban Tales (to 22 September) – Works by eight street artists bring the spirit of the street into the gallery. Opens tonight (7 September) at 6pm at 8 Artı 1 Gallery (Zühtüpaşa Mahallesi Nida Çıkmazı No:2, Kalamış); regular opening hours Tue-Sun noon-6pm.
MUSIC: Istanbul International Chamber Music Festival (to 18 September) – Concerts by cellists, string quartets, percussion ensembles and more, at venues including the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall in Harbiye, Metrohan in Tünel, and Baruthane in Bakırköy.
ART: İnci Eviner: Neural Crest of an Island (to 6 October) – The well-known artist’s latest solo exhibition pairs a new video in her distinctively quirky style (this one inspired by the early 20th century slaughter of stray dogs on Hayırsızada) with a peek inside her studio working process. Dirimart Pera (Meşrutiyet Caddesi No:99, Beyoğlu), open Tue-Sat 10am-7pm and Sun noon-7pm.
Coming Soon 🎨 🎼 🎭
FESTIVAL: Volta: HighLight (10 to 14 September) – A celebration of female street artists from Turkey and Germany, featuring exhibitions, concerts, workshops, and talks. at Darağaç (1519 Sokak and 1532 Sokak, İzmir). IN İZMİR 🚙
EXHIBITION: Designer’s Note (11 September to 2 February 2025) – The exhibition explores the rapid and profound evolution of graphic design in Turkey during the late 20th century, focusing on a selection of books. at SALT Beyoğlu (İstiklal Caddesi No. 136), open Tue-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm.
CONCERT: The Away Days (13 September) – Turkish indie rock and shoegaze band The Away Days takes the stage at Blind (Şehbender Sokak No:3, Asmalımescit, Beyoğlu). Tickets 350 TL; doors at 9pm concert starts 10pm.
PERFORMANCE: Istanbul Fringe Festival (13 to 21 September) – The 6th edition of this alternative performing arts festival features the English-language theater work “Untethered” (14 September) as well as dance and performance pieces by Turkish and international groups that should be accessible regardless of language. Various venues.
FESTIVAL: Korean Festival (14 September) – Come to buy Korean food, cosmetics, and stationery, stay for the K-pop singing and dance competitions at this festival organized by the Korean community in Istanbul. 11am to 4pm, Aykut Barka Deprem Parkı, Ulus, Beşiktaş
Cultural News in Brief 🗞
One of Turkey's most prominent contemporary artists, Mehmet Güleryüz, died this week at the age of 86. Best known for his expressive figurative paintings, his long and notable career also encompassed sculpture and theater. Onun sevdiklerine başınız sağolsun.
The photography exhibit “Magnum Istanbul” at Bulgur Palas, featuring works by photojournalists across the decades from the acclaimed Magnum Photos agency, has been extended until 30 October.
Turkish psychedelic band BaBaZuLa has released a new single, "Arsız Saksağan" (Cheeky Magpie), that takes on the ills of Turkish society – from endless price hikes and environmental destruction to attacks on women, LGBTQ, doctors, journalists and street animals – and celebrates the resistance to them. (Check the description on YouTube for the lyrics in Turkish and English.)
The film “Hayat” (Life), directed by Zeki Demirkubuz, has been selected as Turkey’s official entry for the 2025 Academy Awards in the Best International Film category. (Anyone seen it yet?)
Recommended Reads 📚
Freedom to Move – This carefully observed and bittersweet piece of short fiction about a Turkish expat visiting family in Istanbul makes me want to pick up the author’s new novel. by Ayşegül Savaş in The New Yorker.
Who Decides What Makes for Authentic Middle East Fiction? – Author Nektaria Anastasiadou reflects on the stereotypes and narrow expectations she’s encountered in the literary world, for The Markaz Review.
The historic hammam ritual is having a renaissance in Istanbul – A look inside the recently restored Zeyrek Çinili Hamam and the culture of public bathing, by Amelia Dhuga for Al Jazeera.
Kurtuluş Pastanesi: Pastries for All – Writer and eater Paul Benjamin Osterlund meets two Muslim brothers from Kars with a long history in Jewish baking for Culinary Backstreets.
A Splendid Impossibility – Writer Murat Özyaşar on why he doesn't write in his mother language and what it means to speak a “split tongue.” Translated from Turkish into English by Will Washburn for Words Without Borders.
We Are Lady Parts Season 2 – If you don’t trust me, then maybe you’ll believe The Atlantic or The Guardian: this show rocks. On Peacock in the US, Channel 4 in the UK, and (ahem) various unauthorized streaming sites in Turkey.