A new report in the newspaper Hurriyet has revealed that museum staff participated in a $250 million art heist of 302 works in their own institution between 2005 and 2009.
Turkey
Posted inNews
Hunger Strike Averted as Turkey Ups Art and Heritage Jobs
“We’re at the end of our tether with the employment of one percent of archaeologists. If there is not just employment in 2014, [there will be a] hunger strike,” said archaeologist Binnur Çelebi on April 5.
Posted inNews
Turkish and Kurdish Sites Burned in Nights of Unrest
When Turkey held its armed forces — and its citizen volunteers — back from intervening in the Islamic State’s assault on the Kurdish town of Kobani in Syria in early October, protests erupted.
Posted inNews
Cultural Workers in Turkey Prepare for Hunger Strike over Underemployment
Cultural workers in Turkey are set to go on hunger strike in protest of their unemployment and its endangerment of the country’s vulnerable cultural resources.
Posted inNews
Members of Turkey’s Art Community Speak Out Against Government
Turkey has long been known for its relatively liberal political system for the region, but over the past year the country has begun clamping down on free speech. Now, the video artist Ali Kazma, who represented the country at the 2013 Venice Biennale, has published an online protest statement titled “Something Rotten in the Republic of Turkey.”
Posted inArt
Selfie Justification
LOS ANGELES — I hit the brakes at a stoplight and turn my head to the left. I spot a young woman waiting for the bus. In golden capital letters on her t-shirt, the words WHY NOT shine boldly.
Posted inNews
Is This the World’s Oldest Landscape Painting?
The oldest-known landscape painting might have been created in modern-day central Turkey, according to a new study.
Posted inNews
Resistance to Turkey’s Protest Violence Reaches the Venice Biennale [UPDATED]
In the last few days, the world is watching Turkey erupt in protest after Turkish authorities responded with shocking violence to peaceful protesters trying to save a small park in central Istanbul. A solidarity protest took place on the opening day of the Venice Biennale, and another arose at New York’s Zuccotti Park.
Posted inNews
Over 200 Artworks Missing from Turkish Museum … since 1980?!
The Turkish government has admitted that some 202 artworks are missing from the State Art and Sculpture Museum in Ankara. The Culture and Tourism Ministry waited until last week to release details of a report conducted in 2010, which found that of the 202 missing pieces, 46 objects had been replaced with false replicas, while another 27 works were “highly suspicious.”
Posted inNews
Artists Pull Works from Istanbul Modern Over Censorship Claims
There are claims of censorship in Istanbul as eight artists and an artist collective have made a joint decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Modern museum’s Reality and Dream exhibition. The debate has since snowballed into a discussion about the role of contemporary art in Turkey and the problems associated with corporate sponsorship.
Posted inOpinion
A Short But Succinct Survey of the Current Hand Turkey Stratosphere
Hand turkey. You know you’ve made one. And if you haven’t, well, perhaps it’s time you did.
Posted inNews
Turkish Earthquake Damages Historic Sites, Including 10th C Armenian Church
The magnitude 7.2 earthquake that shook Turkey on Sunday and killed 535 while leaving 50,000 homeless has also damaged important historic monuments in eastern Turkey’s Van region.
