Art
Revisiting Photography’s First Road Trip
Ten Turkish artists follow daguerreotypist Frédéric Auguste Antoine Goupil-Fesquet’s 180-year-old journey through the Eastern Mediterranean.
Istanbul
News
Turkish Arts Philanthropist Acquitted, Then Detained Again
Imprisoned since 2017, Osman Kavala was found not guilty of attempting to overthrow the government, but re-detained on new charges before he could even taste freedom.
Art
The Artist Walking Between Two Seas in Istanbul
For years, artist Serkan Taycan has documented a nearly 40-mile route through the outskirts of Istanbul, which traverses rarely seen landscapes. He facilitates walks through the area, now at risk due to a proposed shipping canal.
Art
At the Istanbul Biennial, Pondering Just How Scared We All Are — or Should Be
In The Seventh Continent, installations don’t so much play off one another as lead to a feeling of fatigue, as one ponders a stream of disparate weighty topics in rapid succession.
Art
Controversy in Istanbul Underscores Rising Political Pressures on Turkish Art Scene
A nationalist message from the head of the country’s biggest contemporary art fair stands in stark contrast to limits of expression on other segments of the Turkish art world.
Art
Collaging an Alternate Reality for Gay Life in Turkey
By literally projecting himself into spaces typically reserved for heterosexual Turkish men, Sinan Tuncay has created a reality in which he takes part in rites of passage that he never experienced.
Art
Weaving a New Future for a Traditional Turkish Craft
A small group of fine artists are bringing renewed attention to the practice of weaving by incorporating it into their artworks.
Art
Painting the Social Dimension of Turkey’s Civil War
For his debut exhibition, Nowhere, painter Sidar Baki foregrounds children within Gazi, an inner city neighborhood 20 kilometers from Istanbul’s core, where many Alawites live alongside internally displaced Anatolian youth.
Interview
Perspectives of a Syrian Artist Working in a War Zone
An interview with Khozema Alaaed, mapping how the psychological manifests in his painting.
News
An Auschwitz Recreation at a Turkish Film Premiere Causes Uproar
Among the glamour of Cicero’s red carpet premiere were disturbing references to World War II concentration camps, including barking German shepherds, guards in SS uniforms, and children's shoes piled on the floor.
Art
Istanbul's Leading Contemporary Art Space Reopens in a Very Different Turkey
The inaugural exhibition in SALT Beyoğlu's revamped space, which was shuttered in 2016, features works by the Turkish artists Aydan Murtezaoğlu and Bülent Şangar.
Film
A Cute but Clawless Documentary on Istanbul's Street Cats
In Kedi, human Istanbulites reflect on their complex but loving relationships with the city's feline inhabitants.