What's On: Into The Void, musical moods, Urban Artifacts, and more
A biweekly roundup of art exhibitions, cultural events, and arts and culture news in Istanbul and around Turkey.
The Void at Çubuklu Silos Digital Art Museum
Perched on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus north of the second bridge, a cluster of large, weathered metal cylinders makes for an incongruous sight amidst the green hills and fine wooden mansions more commonly associated with the famous strait. But starting in the late 19th century, this stretch of shoreline was opened up to industrial development as the city expanded; the fuel tanks known as the Çubuklu Silos were constructed in 1930 and used for decades as a storage area by private oil companies.
In March 2024, the silos were opened to the public as part of a broader municipal culture-heritage restoration campaign that focuses on creating new public spaces, often out of obsolete industrial infrastructure such as old gasworks, factories, and pumping stations. While much less heralded than Istanbul’s grand Ottoman-era architecture, these sites are an important part of how the city became the massive metropolis it is today (even if one wishes that story were better told as part of the revitalizing efforts).
Walkways connecting the tops of the Çubuklu Silos afford sweeping Bosphorus views while ground-level amenities include a waterfront cafe, a library, and a children’s play area. Some of the silos themselves have been converted to use as a digital arts museum; the current exhibition, The Void, features seven light-based works that play off the empty spaces in which they are installed.
Set to an soundtrack of synthesizer and cello, crashing waves morph into digital static as the music becomes more ominous before transforming again into a kind of pulsating rebirth in MAOTIK and Nik Colk Void’s 2024 audiovisual installation “Beyond Echoes.” ha:ar and Hakan Gündüz’s interactive work “Resonance” (2024) draws viewers into a column of light that responds to their movements while Buşra Tunç creates an imaginary landscape that blurs the lines between industrial waste and natural formations in her installation “An Intimate Inventory of Leftovers” (2024).
Exhibition runs until 23 February
Şehit Ersin Güner Sokak, Çubuklu, Beykoz (next to the Çubuklu–İstinye Car Ferry Pier)
Open Tue–Sun 10am to 7pm
A Month of Music 🎼 🎸🎷
From classical to experimental to straight-up rock-and-roll, some musical selections to brighten up the dreary days of February:
Eco Melodies: Music for Ecology (9 February) – Members of the Voice of Young Women: Polyphonic Choir Workshop and the Vokal Academy Pop & Jazz Choir will perform an energetic repertoire on environmental themes. 7pm at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall in Harbiye, Şişli; tickets free via the Istanbul Senin app.
Hinds (12 February) – Spanish indie-rock group plays with opening act Yangın, an Istanbul-based post-punk band, at Blind in Beyoğlu’s Asmalımescit neighborhood. Doors 8pm, show 9pm, tickets 580 TL.
Telli Davul (13 February) – Lively Anatolian folk-rock band plays on the new Minoa Pera stage in Beyoğlu. 8pm at Meşrutiyet Caddesi No.99; tickets start at 450 TL.
Ghostly Kisses (13 and 14 February) – The French-Canadian dream-pop duo of Margaux Sauvé and Louis-Étienne Santais play a pair of shows in Istanbul and Ankara. 9:30pm at Blind and 6:45 KK Ankara, respectively; tickets 1200-1300 TL.
Naz İrem Türkmen and Marija Vrskova (14 and 15 February) – Classical violinist and pianist play selections from Debussy, Saint-Saëns, and Ravel as part of the 80th anniversary concerts of the Istanbul Philharmonic Association. 7pm at the Surp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Catholic Church in Beyoğlu on Friday and the Surp Levon Armenian Catholic Church in Kadıköy on Saturday; tickets start at 448 TL.
New and Newest Music Festival (20 to 23 February) – Sound installations, concerts, intermedia performances, and DJ sets by avant-garde artists. At ARTER in Dolapdere, Beyoğlu; visit the museum’s website for program details and tickets.
BaBa ZuLa (22 February) – The psychedelic and Anatolian rock music favorites are back at Babylon in Bomonti with their new album İstanbul Sokakları. Doors 9pm, show 10pm, tickets 550TL.
Short Takes: Art exhibitions in brief
Their images may look AI-generated but the collective oddviz (made up of Çağrı Taşkın, Serkan Kaptan, and Erdal İnci) actually uses 3D modeling to capture, archive, and remix street objects and architectural details in cities around the world into retrofuturistic Urban Artifacts (ends 22 February at Art On Istanbul; Piyalepaşa Blv. No:32/1, Piyalepaşa, Beyoğlu; open Tue-Sat 10:30am-6:30pm). At neighboring gallery .artSümer, Egypt-born artist Basım Magdy’s Every Subtle Gesture Casts a Shadow on the Future combines photographs and text in surreal, humorous, and melancholy ways (ends 15 February; Piyalepaşa Blv. No:32/A; open Tue-Sat 11am-6:30pm). The politics of climate change, refugees, dams, and surveillance are artfully explored in Cengiz Tekin’s Waves Don’t Draw Maps (ends 22 February at Zilberman; İstiklal Cd. No:163, Mısır Apt., 3rd floor, Beyoğlu; open Tue-Sat 11am-7pm) while Gülşah Mursaloğlu delves into biological and geological processes through the medium of the egg in Downtime, Spread Too Thin (ends 22 February at Sanatorium; Mumhane Cd. No:67/A, Karaköy, Beyoğlu; open Tue-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun noon-5pm; read an interview with the artist in English on the border_less website).
The Latest From Me 🙋🏼♀️
The Material Is the Message in States of Earth – A group exhibition in Istanbul asks whether art can help us find ways of forging more equitable, less exploitative ways of coexisting with the environment. My review of the States of Earth exhibition, which continues through 30 March at Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat (İstiklal Caddesi No:161, Beyoğlu) in Istanbul, for Hyperallergic.
Other Recommended Reads 📚
‘We were raided regularly’: With Assad Gone, Banned Books Return to Syria’s Shelves – Under the deposed dictator, books had to pass detailed scrutiny by government censors. by William Christou for The Guardian.
Syrians Return to Palmyra Amid Hopes Ancient City Can Attract Tourists Once Again – ISIS blew up parts of the historic site when they took over the area in 2015. by Lizzie Porter for The National.
15 Months of Protest Art for Gaza – A look back at the visual expressions that defined the movement as Palestinians return to the devastated region after a temporary ceasefire deal. by Isa Farfan and Rhea Nayyar for Hyperallergic.
Actress Questioned in Turkey Over Role in French TV Thriller – Turkish actress Melisa Sozen has been questioned by police in Istanbul on suspicion of "promoting terrorist propaganda" in a French TV spy series in 2017. by Paul Kirby for BBC.
New Art Magazine in India Puts Equality at the Forefront – The forthcoming visual print magazine All That Blue is designed to provide space for Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi communities — the lowered castes in India’s caste hierarchy — to share their art. by Aisiri Amin for the International Journalists’ Network.