The Artİstanbul Feshane venue was briefly forced to shut its doors after conservative groups decried artworks containing nudity and imagery seen as critical of the state.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Posted inNews
How Turkey’s President Is Weaponizing Culture
Known for persecuting artists and cultural figures, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government is being accused of “artwashing” ahead of critical elections.
Posted inNews
After Istanbul Students Detained for LGBTQ Posters, Protests Against Government Censorship Escalate
The initial protests started one month ago after President Erdoğan appointed one of his political allies as the school’s rector, inciting outrage over political motivations.
Posted inNews
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.
Posted inArt
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.
Posted inNews
Turkey Cracks Down on Cultural Workers and Academics Tied to Detained Philanthropist
As Osman Kavala, an acclaimed Turkish cultural philanthropist, enters his second year imprisoned in solitary confinement without charge, the arrests of 20 of his affiliates expose the double-standards of Turkey’s treatment of its own dissidents following the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Posted inIn Brief
Turkish President Erdoğan Plans Museum Devoted to Failed 2016 Coup
The Museum of the 15 July: Martyrs and Democracy is expected to open in late 2018 on the outskirts of Ankara.
Posted inNews
A Painting and News Report Land a Turkish Artist in Prison
Zehra Dogan, a journalist and painter has been sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison for making a painting that depicts the destruction of the Turkish city of Nusaybin by government forces.
Posted inArt
An Oppositional Artist in Turkey on Censorship, Political Unrest, and “Terrorism”
ISTANBUL — Since winning the November 2015 elections, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his AKP party have taken extreme measures to silence anyone who raises their voice to criticize government policy.
Posted inIn Brief
Artist Who Got Turkish President Fined Now Facing Four Years in Jail
Sculptor Mehmet Aksoy may have scored a victory earlier this year, when the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was fined about $3,800 for calling his unfinished “Monument to Humanity” a “monstrosity,” but now the artist is facing 56 months in prison for insulting the president.
Posted inIn Brief
Turkish Prime Minister Nails Political Banner to Ancient Roman Aqueduct
Here’s one way to draw attention to your political campaign: nail a banner with your face on it across a UNESCO World Heritage site.
