I recently visited the Hagia Sophia for the first time after its conversion and felt overwhelming sadness.
Turkey
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Scholars Decipher 3,200-year-old Rock Reliefs That Depict the Cosmos
Over 200 years since they were discovered, researchers may have finally deciphered the elaborate Hittite carvings.
Posted inArt
A Kurdish Artist’s Creative Resistance From Behind Bars
“Politics, war and oppression are a part of my life,” Fatoş İrwen explained of her current solo show, Exceptional Times.
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SALT Presents Climavore: Seasons Made to Drift by Cooking Sections
Exploring how to eat as humans change the climate, Climavore: Seasons Made to Drift is on view until August 22 at SALT Beyoğlu.
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Theater Ensemble Targeted in Turkey for Kurdish Performances; Accused of “Terrorist Propaganda”
“The government views us as political because we believe that the almost 20 million Kurds living in Turkey have the right to experience theater in their own language,” said actor Cihad Ekinci.
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Turkey Targets Osman Kavala’s Arts Organization in Unprecedented Lawsuit
Turkey’s Trade Ministry filed a lawsuit demanding the dissolution of Anadolu Kültür, an institution founded by Kavala in 2002.
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US Urges Immediate Release of Art Philanthropist Osman Kavala in Turkey
The State Department released a statement denouncing the “specious charges against Kavala, his ongoing detention, and the continuing delays in the conclusion of his trial.”
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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.
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Walk With Me: A Performance Artist Adapts to the Pandemic
For two weeks last fall, performance artist Alisa Oleva walked with 33 different women in Istanbul; sometimes for 30 minutes, sometimes for three hours, but always from 1500 miles away.
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Archaeologists in Turkey Uncover 2,400-year-old Dionysus Mask
Dionysus, the god of fertility and wine in Greek mythology, was also known as the “masked” god of theater and a patron of arts.
Posted inArt
For Turkish Women Artists and Advocates, #challengeaccepted Is About More Than Just Selfies
As femicide rates continue to rise in the country, there’s more to consider than just the surface-level gesture of #womensupportingwomen.
Posted inArt
Who Really Owns Hagia Sophia?
As the Turkish government announced that the Hagia Sophia will be converted back into a mosque, one of the primary responses worldwide has been to assert that the edifice constitutes “universal” heritage, that it belongs to all of us.