SANAYI313 Paper Magazine #04

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CITIZENS BLACKOUTS

Interview Series

Beral Madra lives a life dedicated to art, Murat Pilevneli in conversation with plants, Şemsa Denizsel ’s gourmandism runs in her blood

A Collection of City Guides from Bordeaux by globetrotter Yolanda Edwards to the secrets of the Grand Bazaar by jewellery designer Olivia Cummings

& MORE

Cover Story – An interview with our acclaimed cover artist Nuri Kuzucan, Everything about the Istanbul Heritage Project with IMM Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat

SANAYI313

CONTENTS

BLACKOUTS

A comprehensive city guide and collection of black-and-white photos.

CITIZENS

Unsung heroes of Istanbul who are masters of their domains.

CASE SERIES

The latest updates from Sanayi313.

LOVE LETTERS

Talented people pen a letter to share their passion for a subject they love. Because the world needs more love and more love letters.

KITCHEN

Cooking tips, recipes, ingredients, and everything in between by the chefs of Sanayi313.

WORDS

Three questions and one drawing for a word out of 313 Words.

FINDS

News and interviews from the art scene, locally and globally.

INTERIORS

A new range of made-to-measure furniture. Sanayi313’s architectural projects which include exclusive and bespoke environments.

Editorial Editor-in-Chief (Managing Director)

SİDNİ KARAVİL

Head of Editorial Content

GÖKÇE BURDURLU CÖMERT

Editors

DEN İ Z BULUTSUZ

PEL İ N KESTANEC İ OĞLU

SEBLA TANIK

Translator

SELÇUK SOMERSAN

Copy Editor

SHONQUIS MORENO

Contributors

NAZLI ERDEM İ REL, ÖMER ÖZTOP, HAT İ CE UTKAN ÖZDEN, AL İ TUFAN KOÇ, S İ NEM KURULTAY, C İ HAN ÖNCÜ

SERKAN ENNAÇ, ONUR ERAYBAR, VOLGA YILDIZ, ZEYNEP YENER

Design

Creative Direction

ENİS KARAVİL

Art Direction

b1rik2ü3 / CREATIVE AGENCY

Design SAND

• Printing OFSET YAPIMEVİ

For all your inquiries: paper@sanayi313.com

selfactualisation

(Personal growth and fulfillment) self-esteem

(Reputation, achievement and status) belonging & love

(Intimate relationships, friendships) safety & security

(Protection, stability, order and shelter) physiological

(Food, water, warmth, rest)

We had almost achieved the first four needs in the hierarchy of Maslow’s pyramid of needs. The time seemed ripe for self-actualisation and yet we seem to have toppled all the way down to the bottom in recent years. Food security is a big concern, water shortages are around the corner, and the housing problem has reached a whole new level, especially in the aftermath of the double earthquakes that devastated most of southeast Turkey last February. We simply cannot catch a break while struggling to tackle our problems.

Maslow claimed that people could not perceive needs higher in the hierarchy of his pyramid until all the more basic needs were fully met.

I feel lucky to have the means to hold on to life. As I write this, I want to think that ascending the pyramid of needs is still something achievable.

The February earthquakes count as the disaster of a century. May the souls of the people who lost their lives rest in peace and the wounded recover quickly.

Resolute and in solidarity, we will recover and then resume our way up the pyramid. Because we deserve it. Hospitable, helpful, sincere and compassionate,we are a unique nation that looks out for each other in every situation.

Considering how connected we all are in this world, this issue is about how art has equal value to everyone, whether we know it or not.

Nuri Kuzucan designed the cover of our new issue and shared “ Fasad Series no: 313” with us to support the idea that art is everywhere and for everyone. We hope that you enjoy the read and tear out the artwork you’ll find in this issue to hang it in a place you love. Exhibition curator Nilüfer Şaşmazer explains Nuri Kuzucan’s art, whose “Passage” exhibition opens at ARTER in June:

“ After long years at the Academy of Fine Arts, studying interior spaces, Nuri shifted his creative focus first to buildings, then to streets and then to the city as a whole. His horizontal perspective progressed to a bird’s-eye view and from there to a much more abstract perspective. Nuri has an amazing ability to find this subjective voice. What is more, just like his general attitude to life, his work is not defined by a hierarchy. It is positioned on a plane of equal coexistence. I find it very important that he realised his pursuit of collective/collaborative work, and the relations he established with the works of his contemporaries, as well as those of his predecessors.” Buildings, streets, cities, the idea of collective work, an equal degree of togetherness, and the ability to find one’s own voice summarise our experiences and expectations...

SİDNİ KARAVİL

The Power of Transformation and Togetherness

Once shared with others, every story becomes a personal one and grows into a social issue. For artists working on themes like extinction, recreation, regeneration and environmental responsibility, art exists to emphasise the significance of unity, social responsibility and coexistence. Societal challenges can only be addressed by collective transformation . Art is the best tool at our disposal to achieve that; its power to transform and bring us together must be shared by everyone.

Institutions, museums, curators, artists and writers have recently started to collaborate more effectively on a single objective – to make art an integral part of society. Biennials with a focus on free social programs, art museums that care more about inclusive communication and transparency in their operations, and a greater number of online exhibitions have contributed to a more vibrant and audience-oriented art scene, rendering contemporary art more accessible and relatable. But does this mean that the contemporary art world is finally “functioning” properly? Can we talk about an inclusive art scene that embraces everything and everyone? Amidst constant change, art stands bang in the centre of life. So shouldn’t it - and we - be more open, accessible and inclusive?

While the pandemic has threatened the entire planet and the inevitability of change has become a reality for the art scene, our social practices have changed, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse There are more postponements, cancellations, and new regulations. It’s clear that the art world will never be the same again. Contemporary art is moving away from exclusive exhibitions towards events that are more accessible. Individuals and institutions are exploring archives and viewing its subjects from a global perspective.

The impact of an accelerated migration to online platforms during the pandemic was an important part of this globalisation trend. During the lockdown, the world’s major museums established online access to their permanent collections, which significantly broadened the audience that could access it. It is estimated that 85,000 museums worldwide closed their doors due to Covid during 2019 and 2020; only 5% of them made it online. That percentage may seem low, but the sheer number of online visitors confirms how important it is for art to adapt to the changing times. Virtual tours now make it possible for people from all parts of society to experience exhibitions. Rather than being confined to a single perspective, we now have access to multiple perspectives. Art points to the power of collectively discovering innovation and creativity even though we cannot

Editor HATİCE UTKAN ÖZDEN

be together. For example, the number of people visiting the Rijksmuseum has been declining since 1964, however, it increased its social media followers by 23% as of January 2020, as millions of users began to take virtual tours of the museum. According to the figures, art events are much more accessible these days even if they are becoming much more of an isolated personal experience.

In terms of physical structure, the architecture of a museum focuses on bringing people closer to art. For example, Renzo Piano, famous as the architect of the Istanbul Modern museum, always creates shared spaces in every museum building he designs. He believes that since museums are public centres of art, shared spaces lie at the heart of the museum’s mission. These spaces act as meeting points that promote dialogue between people with similar interests. These dialogues undoubtedly contribute to a better understanding of art as well as its proliferation among larger audiences. As the world’s most iconic museum architect, Piano believes that a city’s culture is forged in buildings that allow people to spend time together: “The design must allow buildings to be in contact with the street, establish a dialogue with the society and prevent people from feeling alienated when they walk in.”

BIENNIALS: THE DEMOCRATIC FORM OF ART

In contrast to the conventional operations of museums and galleries, non-profit and long-running biennials stand out as one of the most effective instruments for exposing a greater number of people to art. Aside from the Istanbul Biennial, the most important international art event in Turkey, biennials are now also organised in smaller cities like Sinop, Çanakkale, Mardin, and Adıyaman.

The gravity of unison and exploring together lies in the essence of biennials to succeed in exposing art to greater audiences. For example, the 8th Çanakkale Biennial (1 October – 5 November 2022) was centred around the question, “How do we work together?” and addressed concepts and experiences associated with “community”, “labour” and “unison”

Work that asked other questions, however, were also included in the show. One of them is İhsan Oturmak’s “A Picture About the Dam”, which deals with the challenging aspects of multiple people working together.

Oturmak’s work, portraying an apathetic group watching a person drown in a reservoir, suggests that even decisions made by a number of people together may be unethical and even cruel. Among local biennials in Anatolia, the one in Mardin deserves mention.

The 5th Mardin Biennial (20 May - 20 June 2022) questioned universal policies from the perspective of social ecology and discussed the impact of social blockades on art. The 17th Istanbul Biennial (17 September – 20 November 2022) offered a surprise theme, partly related to the onset of the pandemic.

Convinced that the social, political, economic and ecological issues highlighted by our experience of the virus demanded a rethink of the biennial, the curators focused on “process” rather than “production” and chose a theme we had all been struggling with: “no contact”. IKSV (Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts) director Görgün Taner pledged that the biennial would feature incomplete works,still in the process of creation. Curated around this theme, the 17th Istanbul Biennial, which was the first significant art event to welcome visitors in person following the pandemic, emphasised being together while experiencing the transformative power of art.

With all this in mind, can we assume that exposing more people to art and harnessing the power of being together could help to repair the tarnished reputation of contemporary art? Has this sense of unison made contemporary art more accessible and helped it to regain its prestige as a form of expression that evolves with society and reflects its historical moment? Bringing people together to experience art can transform both art and society while also providing a philosophical answer to the long-standing question as to what the purpose of art is. When the audience can relate to art, it can add meaning to people’s lives and remind us of its incalculable value to all of us.

The city of charming little quartiers

Editor YOLANDA EDWARDS

IN 2015, MY HUSBAND AND I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE MÉDOC, THE WINE-GROWING REGION IN SOUTHWEST FRANCE SURROUNDED BY THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, THE GIRONDE ESTUARY, AND THE CITY OF BORDEAUX. WE LOVED HOW QUIET IT WAS: VERY FEW RESTAURANTS, HOTELS, CAFES—THE OPPOSITE OF OUR LIFE IN NEW YORK CITY. YET AN HOUR AND A HALF SOUTH IS THIS CITY THAT HAS BECOME ONE OF OUR FAVORITES. I ALWAYS FALL FOR PLACES THAT FEEL AS IF THEY’VE NEVER CHANGED AND BORDEAUX IS VERY MUCH THAT. IN SOME WAYS IT REMINDS ME OF PARIS—PARTS OF THE CITY WERE ALSO DESIGNED BY HAUSSMANN, SO IT HAS HIS SIGNATURE, 19TH-CENTURY ARCHITECTURE, BOULEVARDS, BEAUTIFUL PARKS, AND SQUARES, BUT ON A MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE SCALE. I CAN WALK ALL MY FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOODS, A SERIES OF CHARMING LITTLE QUARTIERS, FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER, IN 45 MINUTES. IT ALSO HAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE FLEA MARKETS IN THE WORLD AT THE BASILICA OF SAINT MICHEL, WITH STALLS AND TABLES PILED HIGH WITH ACTUALLY GOOD DEALS.

On the left bottom: La Tupina restaurant

[2]

[3]

[1] Opera National de Bordeaux

[2] Cadiot-Badie chocolate shop and Sadia Fleurs

[3] Grosse Cloche

Could a sudden impromptu visit to a small Italian coastal town be the key to numerous wonders in the future?

Editor MERVE HASMAN SALVATORI

I CAME TO FORTE DEI MARMI LIKE A SPOILED LITTLE GIRL, CRYING TO MAKE SURE I DIDN’T CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY ALONE. THIS CHARMING TOWN PROVED ONCE AGAIN THAT SOMEHOW, SOMEWHERE INSIDE, WE ALREADY KNOW EVERYTHING. THE SOUL IS FORGED IN THE PROCESS OF REMEMBERING WHAT WE HAVE FORGOTTEN. IN THIS WAY LANDING AT GENOA AIRPORT, MY INNER VOICE TOLD ME, “THIS IS YOUR HOME AND THE PLACE WHERE YOU WILL FIND THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE!” WHO KNOWS, I MAY HAVE EVEN SAID THIS TO MY MOTHER…

I HAD ARRIVED IN MY CHILDHOOD, AT THE END OF INFINITE ILLUMINATED TUNNELS. IT WAS ALMOST AS IF I WAS IN YEŞILKÖY. BICYCLES, BEACHES AND CHILDREN’S FINGERS COVERED IN ICE CREAM. EVERYTHING WAS SO FAMILIAR! AFTER STAYING HERE FROM ONLY THURSDAY TO MONDAY, I FELT AS IF I HAD GROWN A YEAR OLDER IN THIS CHILDHOOD THAT I HAD MOMENTARILY RECOVERED. ALTHOUGH EVERYONE WAS MAKING FUN OF ME, I STILL HAD FAITH THAT I WOULD FIND “THE MAN” AND SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE HERE. ON OUR LAST DAY, AS WE HEADED BACK FROM THE BEACH TO OUR HOTEL, I SHOUTED OUT MY DREAM ONCE AGAIN IN THE SHADE OF THE LUSH TREES, THE DREAM I HAD TOLD ONE OF MY MOTHER’S BEST FRIENDS MONTHS AGO. AND AS IT SOMETIMES DOES, MY LIFE CHANGED IN A MOMENT. WALKING THROUGH THAT HUGE IRON GATE, I HAD ACTUALLY COME TO MY HOUSE. SPENDING JUST TWO HOURS TOGETHER WAS ENOUGH.

I DON’T KNOW IF THIS IS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, BUT HE IS THE PERSON WITH WHOM I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE GREATEST DEGREE OF LOVE. SIX MONTHS AFTER WE MET, I HAD MOVED INTO MY REAL HOME, MY REAL LIFE. NOW WE HAVE A TINY SOUL IN OUR LIVES THAT MAKES THIS LOVE GROW BIGGER BETWEEN US. HOW HAPPY WE ARE. ETERNALLY GRATEFUL!

[3] One of my favourite beaches near Cinquale.

[4] Tent il Bagno is a type of beach club. There are several of them located on the town’s strand, some hosting concerts in the evenings.

[5] If you come to Forte dei Marmi by car in late summer, you are likely to come across plenty of sunflowers on the roadside.

[6] Grand Hotel Imperiale, the oldest hotel in Forte dei Marmi.

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

The small city that delivers big talent

Editor ZEYNEP YENER

ANTWERP

I DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN MY FASCINATION WITH ANTWERP BEGAN, BUT LATER IN MY LIFE, I CAME TO REALIZE THAT MOST OF THE THINGS I’M OBSESSED WITH ARE SOMEHOW RELATED TO THIS CITY. THE BEER, THE BELGIAN FRIES (THEY ARE NOT FRENCH!), THE LIGHT AND THE MODERNITY IN WILLY VANDERPERRE’S PHOTOGRAPHY, THE CHARCOAL DRAWINGS OF RINUS VAN DE VELDE AND, OF COURSE, THE ANTWERP SIX*. WHAT I ADMIRE MOST ABOUT THE SIX, A GROUP OF FASHION DESIGNERS WHO GRADUATED FROM THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, IS MORE THAN THE FASHION. IT IS THE KIND OF BOND THEY SHARED WHEN THEY WERE JUST STARTING OUT BACK IN THE 1980S. THEIR SUPPORT FOR EACH OTHER, ALONG WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHERS, STYLISTS AND MAKEUP ARTISTS WHO WORKED WITH THEM, GREW INTO THE ROOTS OF A FASHION ECOSYSTEM UNLIKE ANY OTHER THE CITY HAS SEEN. BUT ONCE YOU BEGIN TO GET ACQUAINTED WITH THE ANTWERPENS, YOU BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THEIR FELLOWSHIP. PEOPLE CAN BE VERY FRIENDLY AND HUMBLE IN ANTWERP WHILE, AT THE SAME TIME, PROUDLY FLAUNTING THEIR INDIVIDUALITY.

I ALWAYS STAY AT THE SAME HOTEL, WHICH HAS BECOME SOMETHING OF A HOME TO ME, EACH TIME I’M IN THIS GEM OF A CITY. I HAVE A LONG LIST OF FAVORITE PLACES THAT I KEEP REVISITING WHILE ALSO SUSSING OUT NEW PLACES ON EACH TRIP. I HAVE NEVER LEFT THE CITY DISAPPOINTED.

ceramic sculpture created and dressed by Dirk Van Saene one of the famous Antwerp

the Mirror Mirror

Fashion the Psyche exhibition at Antwerp’s MoMu.

The living room of the master suite at Boulevard Leopold Rooms Suites. That’s where I like to stay whenever I’m in Antwerp.

[5]

[4]

[3] At the time of our visit, St. Vincents was hosting a solo exhibition of works by Antwerp-born artist Yaël Hupert.

[4] Antwerp’s Contemporary Art Museum, M HKA just reopened after years of renovation in collaboration with Axel Vervoordt and Japanese architect Tatsuro Miki.

[5] Following a major renovation, MoMu reopened with its own café, which is operated by Graanmarkt 13 – my favorite concept store and restaurant in the world. Those madelines are heavenly.

Chaotic, bursting with history, animated by opportunity

Editor OLIVIA CUMMINGS

THE GRAND BAZAAR

THE FIRST TIME I CAME TO ISTANBUL WAS WHEN I WAS LIVING IN PARIS FOR SIX YEARS, WORKING AT A BRANDING AGENCY AFTER FINISHING MY MASTER’S DEGREE IN PARIS. I HAD ALWAYS LOOKED AT ISTANBUL ONLINE AND FOUND IT ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING. ALMOST 11 YEARS AGO, I BOUGHT A TICKET ON A WHIM AND CAME ON MY OWN TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE JEWELLERY IN THE CITY’S LEGENDARY MARKET, THE GRAND BAZAAR. I FELT INSTANTLY DRAWN TO THE GRAND BAZAAR. IT WAS CHAOTIC, BURSTING WITH HISTORY, ANIMATED BY OPPORTUNITY. I WANTED TO GET RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING AND LEARN AS MUCH AS I COULD. I FELT WELCOMED, EVEN THOUGH I THINK THE USTAS* WERE SURPRISED TO FIND AN AUSTRALIAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BAZAAR EVERY DAY FOR FIVE YEARS. THE GRAND BAZAAR IS VERY CLOSE TO MY HEART. EVEN AFTER SPENDING SO MUCH TIME HERE, I STILL FEEL INSPIRED BY THE VIBRANT ENERGY OF ISTANBUL. ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, IT REPRESENTS A VERY IMPORTANT TIME OF GROWTH AND CREATIVITY IN MY LIFE. I WILL ALWAYS RETURN TO ISTANBUL AS A POINT OF REFERENCE, A REMINDER OF GROWTH AND CHANGE IN MY LIFE AND IN THE BRAND I’VE CREATED THAT IS ALWAYS EVOLVING DAY BY DAY.

[5]

[3] Hanefi Yeter’s ceramic works

[4] Aziz

[5] Antique dealer Murat Bilir’s store in the Grand Bazaar.

[6] A typical lunch in the Grand Bazaar.

The Evolution of an Art Gallery

This story begins with master painter Nuri İyem and his wife, ceramic artist Nasip İyem Their daughter-inlaw, Evin İyem, and son, Ümit İyem, are the heroes of the story because they opened Evin Art Gallery in 1996 to bring a fresh perspective to art galleries in Turkey. Guided by instincts honed by an artistic family, Evin and Ümit succeeded in introducing a different approach that focuses on nurturing the artist. More recently, as the third-generation creatives of the family, Osman Nuri İyem and Gizem Kâhya İyem remain loyal to the gallery’s work ethic, but they have also given it a modern identity more in tune with the zeitgeist. It has been located at Büyük Bebek Deresi Sokak No. 13 in Istanbul since 2003 and this is what art enthusiasts can expect to find there 20 years on.

ART, BOOKS, NFTS AND MORE

This is your chance to experience art in a historical mansion in Bebek, one of the city’s most beautiful neighbourhoods...

You can start your visit in the project area where up-and-coming and established artists have the opportunity to showcase original ideas and private projects. Here, you can see Setenay Alpsoy’s “Gayrettepe Last Stop”, which was featured in“Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing” award-winning 2020 exhibition that toured various cities across the UK. You can take a mental trip through the black-and-white photographs of New York-based artist Devin Oktar Yalkın, and disappear into the sculptures of Rahmi Aksungur before spending time in the İyem Library, which contains rare and signed art books from the family collection. If digital art is your passion, visit the NFT exhibition area to discover young digital artists and learn about the hot topic of the NFT.

It is worth visiting the gallery store before you leave. The store offers a wide selection of editions, works of art, and exclusive designer collections that make excellent gifts.

GİZEM KÂHYA İYEM

Gizem was a reserved child but she gravitated toward art early on. It is a passion that has followed her through life. She started taking ballet lessons at the age of five. The musical training she received there in the dance studio fascinated her so much that she started violin lessons at the age of 10. Music helped Gizem learn to exist and communicate through art. She went on to study art and design at Sabancı University in its visual arts and communication department. As an art director in movies, she dreamt of recreating entire worlds. And then she joined the Evin Art Gallery family. While working on the gallery’s creative projects and exhibition productions, she continued as an art director for films and music videos and appeared in group exhibitions as part of the Taşeron Independent Art Initiative.

Creating work across a variety of artistic disciplines allows Gizem to explore diverse visual languages and aesthetics while working in a gallery environment. According to Gizem , art is a prod -

uct of the courage it takes to create. Like the decisions made during the creation of a work of art, the gallery’s artistic choices feel harmonious to Gizem, who is guided by artistic instincts while trying to maintain this affinity.

OSMAN NURİ İYEM

Osman comes from an artistic family. His grandparents were artists, his mother a gallery owner and his father an art fair director and a ceramicist. Art is in his genes. As a child, Osman often spent time at his grandmother’s workshop, where he played with ceramics instead of toys. His first camera was a gift from his grandmother. During his high school years, he watched a lot of movies and listened to music constantly. He studied cinema at university but claims that he enjoys the shaping of materials that is often a part of photography and other mediums, as much as the storytelling. Osman developed an interest in the dark side of the world; a period

in which he focused on (literally) dark images and (metaphorically) dark relationships. His Master’s thesis on the fabrication of reality and the role of art had a profound impact on his artistic output. In his films, he wants the audience to feel his presence behind the camera. The manipulations that occur in his photography are evident and he encourages his audience to think about why.

The traces of Osman’s versatile artistic personality are also reflected in the operation of the gallery. He can easily connect and empathise with artists. His aesthetic perspective contributes significantly to how exhibitions are presented and narrated, the nature of collaborations with artists, and how artists’ dilemmas are resolved.

MÜJDE TANLA

ÜMİT İYEM

OSMAN NURİ İYEM ** GİZEM KÂHYA İYEM *

EVİN İYEM ÖMER İYEM

Setenay Alpsoy, Evin Art Gallery, Pencil on paper 40x41cm, 2022

*Photography by Osman Nuri İyem **Photography by Gizem Kâhya İyem

“EVIN ART HAS BEEN ON MY RADAR SINCE MY TIME AS A STUDENT, SO IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING, I FEEL HONORED TO BE REPRESENTED BY THEM. I AM IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE TEAM AT THE GALLERY AND THIS HAS HELPED ESTABLISH A STRONG ARTIST-GALLERY RELATIONSHIP IN A VERY SHORT TIME. THE LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION IS GREAT AND I FEEL UNDERSTOOD, MEANING THE GALLERY PROVIDES A VERY COMFORTABLE SPACE FOR MY ARTISTIC OUTPUT.”

“MY EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH THE EVIN ART GALLERY HAS BEEN AN ENLIGHTENING ONE THAT HAS HELPED GUIDE ME AS AN ARTIST AND ALWAYS KEEPS ME LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT EXHIBITION. I KNOW THAT THERE IS SUPPORT FOR ME IN TERMS OF CREATION AND IDEAS. I NOW HAVE A GALLERY BEHIND ME THAT HAS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH ARTISTS AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, FRIENDS THERE WHO HELP FACILITATE THE EXPERIENCE OF SHOWING WORK THAT IS PERSONAL AND MEANINGFUL TO ME.”

KADER GENÇ

Kader Genç (b. 1987, Bursa) graduated from Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts with a degree in painting. These are his thoughts on the Evin Art Gallery, which has represented him since 2022.

DEVİN OKTAR YALKIN

Devin Oktar Yalkın (b. 1981, New York) graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a degree in photography. The artist told us about the gallery where he opened his first solo exhibition in Turkey in 2022.

Devin Oktar Yalkın, My Love Love Part 7, pigment ink print

Kader Genç, Claudel-Clotho, Oil on Bristol, 100x70 cm, 2022, Polyptych One of 5 pieces

*This is an advertorial.

ART DESTINATIONS

Editor SEBLA TANIK

The exhibitions opening around the world in 2023 suggest that art enthusiasts will have a busy year ahead of them. Read through our list of creative world highlights to make sure you have your favourite events noted on your calendar.

MARINA

PHILIP

Renowned as one of the most important performance artists in the world, Marina Abramović’s first UK exhibition, which will span her 50-year career, will be one of the most anticipated shows of the year. Visitors will be led to plumb their emotions with the kind of intense, physical welcome so typical of Marina Abramović. A team of young artists trained by Abramović will re-perform some of the artist’s most iconic performances. New work exclusive to the Royal Academy of Arts will also be on display. royalacademy.org.uk

This autumn, the Tate will open its long-awaited retrospective of Philip Guston, one of the most captivating painters of the 20th century. Guston experimented with the abstract expressionist style under the influence of the New York school at the beginning of his career and later turned to new expressionism in the 1960s. The artist has been censored occasionally, partly due to his unique sense of humour. Most recently, the artist’s retrospective, scheduled to tour internationally in 2021, was postponed until 2024 over concerns that the work would not be received in the current political climate. tate.org.uk

“Never before have you been able to see so many Johannes Vermeer paintings in a single exhibition,”claims the Rijksmuseum about its current cornucopia of Vermeer. The show promises art lovers the chance to meet and get acquainted with the painter. More than 23 rare paintings by the Dutch master, including ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ will be on display. Beyond these celebrated paintings, the Rijksmuseum will also present research on his artistic choices and creative process. It is an installation that may at last rival the Vermeer exhibition mounted at the Mauritshuis Museum in 1996. rijksmuseum.nl

With this exhibition, Fondation Louis Vuitton continues its five-year exploration of the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat. “Basquiat × Warhol. Painting 4 Hands” takes a closer look at the artist’s collaboration with Andy Warhol Basquiat credited Warhol as the pioneer of a new artistic language and a groundbreaking relationship between art and pop culture. During the collaboration, Warhol rediscovered his desire to make large-scale paintings. More than 100 paintings signed jointly by the artists will come together in a show that may be the most important project dedicated to the extraordinary duo to date. fondationlouisvuitton.fr

The Costume Institute’s spring 2023 exhibition will examine the work of fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld . The focus will be on the aesthetic themes that appear time and again in Lagerfeld ’s designs from the 1950s to his final collection in 2019. Spotlighting his unique working method, the show will offer a great opportunity for fashion enthusiasts to learn more about this icon of couture. metmuseum.org

Runway image of an ensemble, Karl Lagerfeld (French, born Germany, 1933–2019) for the House of CHANEL (French, founded 1910), fall/winter 1986-87. Courtesy of CHANEL.

Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Josh Kline (b. 1979) is one of the leading artists of his generation. Best known for creating immersive installations using video, sculpture, photography, and design, Kline questions how new technologies are changing human life in the 21st century. In an era defined by cascading crises, Kline ’s work issues a visceral warning and calls for a more humane future. The Whitney’s exhibition will survey more than a decade of the artist’s work, including new installations that address the climate crisis. whitney.org

Josh Kline “In Stock (Walmart Worker’s Arms)”, 2018, (detail). 3D-printed sculpture in acrylic-based photopolymer resin, Walmart shopping cart, custom cardboard boxes, 39 x 26 x 44 ins. Courtesy of 47 Canal, New York and Modern Art, London.

Tehching Hsieh, the acclaimed Taiwanese-American performance artist who was called a “master” by no less a master than Marina Abramović, will be featured at the Neue Nationalgalerie in a provocative exhibition called “Time Clock Piece”. Hsieh gained international fame in the late 1970s and early 80s, primarily for his long-running performances, each of which ran over a year. The film/photo installation shows the artist photographing himself as he punches in on a time clock every hour for a year. smb.museum

The Belvedere estate was built 300 years ago, in 1723, as the summer residence of Vienna’s most famous general, Prince Eugene of Savoy. Both as a museum and a landmark building, the Belvedere has stood for power and prestige, serving as a royal residence and as the backdrop for the signing of historic treaties. Even as the manor’s public roles have evolved over time, it has always remained a centre for the arts. This time, the venue opens its doors to visitors with “The Belvedere”, an exhibition with a focus on the diversity of works that left their mark on history and the development of the collection. The comprehensive exhibition is curated by Björn Blauensteiner, Sabine Grabner, Kerstin Jesse, Alexander Klee, Georg Lechner, Stefan Lehner, Monika Mayer and Luisa Ziaja belvedere.at

A Portrait of Marina Abramović Courtesy of the Marina Abramović Archives Photograph by Paola + Murray©, New York, 2015. Philip Guston, “Painting, Smoking, Eating”, 1973. Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam ©The Estate of Philip Guston Johannes Vermeer, “The Milkmaid”, c. 1660.

Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat , #143, New York City, July 10, 1985 ©Michael Halsband 2022.

Photograph by Joerg Lohse

Oswald Oberhuber, Prinz Eugen 2009, ©Belvedere, Vienna.

Tehching Hsieh “One Year Performance 1980-1981”, Image courtesy of the artist and Sean Kelly Gallery, New York.

RAGNAR KJARTANSSON

LOUISIANA MUSEUM OF MODERN ART/ HUMLEBAEK

UNTIL OCTOBER 22 2023

SIMONE LEIGH

INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART / BOSTON

UNTIL SEPTEMBER 4 2023

UVA: EDGE OF CHAOS

BORUSAN CONTEMPORARY / ISTANBUL

UNTIL AUGUST 27 2023

A quirky love-hate relationship with Western culture and his musical, humorous and tragicomic bursts of emotion have already made Ragnar Kjartansson one of the most important and interesting figures in contemporary art. His first major solo presentation at the Louisiana’s modern art museum will consist of small drawings and large spatial works, featuring film and music. Visitors should prepare for an art experience that will make them laugh and cry at the same time.

louisiana.dk

During a career spanning two decades, Simone Leigh has explored ideas of race, beauty and community in visual and material culture while keeping questions of Black femme subjectivity at the centre of contemporary art discourse. The ICA exhibition serves up the first comprehensive exploration of Leigh ’s work, surveying her production in ceramic, bronze, video, and installation. It will be accompanied by a large monograph and will feature works from the artist’s Venice Biennale presentation, providing audiences the opportunity to experience this acclaimed artist more deeply. icaboston.org

Now for Istanbul! Home to Turkey’s most comprehensive − and publicly accessible − multimedia art collection, Borusan focuses on various components of contemporary art in its latest show. Curated by Julia Kaganskiy this major exhibition showcases the work of UVA, a British art collective that explores the nature of cognition through sculpture, performance and site-specific installations that fuse light, form and movement. “UVA: The Edge of Chaos” takes visitors on a sensory journey from the cosmic to the earthly. borusancontemporary.com

GRIEF AND PLEASURE

OMM: ODUNPAZARI MODERN MUSEUM / ESKIŞEHIR SEPTEMBER 7 2022 – JULY 30 2023

Ongoing at the OMM, this exhibition focuses on the emotional mechanisms of the human being through work produced in various media, including photography, sculpture, video, painting, and an installation. Acclaimed media artist Bill Viola’s video “The Raft” is the most recent addition to the show, which brings together work by 38 artists. Adopting a visual language reminiscent of Greco-Roman friezes,“The Raft” introduces an unexpected perspective in its description of humanity as being powerless against the dictates of nature.

Ragnar Kjartansson, still image from “No Tomorrow”, 2017. Ballet with eight guitars created for the Iceland Dance Company in collaboration with Margrét Bjarnadóttir & Bryce Dessner ©Ragnar Kjartansson

Liz Magic Laser and Simone Leigh in collaboration with Alicia Hall Moran, “Breakdown”, 2011. Single-channel video (colour, sound: 9:00 minutes). Courtesy of the artists and the Matthew Marks Gallery.

Ola Kolehmainen, “Untitled (MiN5+6)”, 2010. Borusan Contemporary Art Collection.

Francesco Albano, “Lump #2”, 2013. Courtesy of the artist and Öktem Aykut Gallery.

Asger Carlsen, “Untitled” series, 2011. İdil Tabanca Collection.

BERAL MADRA

A Life Dedicated to Art

Editor SEBLA TANIK Photography NAZLI ERDEMİREL

Beral Madra is a key figure in the past, present and future of anything related to art in Turkey. We met her at Sanayi313 to talk about Istanbul and her life of transformations – which have followed those of the city itself.

Pondering Istanbul’s past, we always find something to complain about. What it has become today. Why it so often fails to please its modern residents. And who can blame us? This is a city that has witnessed one of the most large-scale and acute changes in as little as one human lifetime. Beral Madra is a firsthand witness to the social, economic, political and spatial upheavals that Istanbul has undergone in just 80 years. I’m curious to learn more about the nature of her relationship with modern Istanbul.

“People in higher income groups may not realise this, but many of the city’s residents are living in severe poverty. It is a heterogeneous city as much as it is a dystopian one. It is this dystopia that shakes Istanbul to the core. You can see the big picture when you look at the city from the Marmara Sea. Along the shoreline is a city that has withstood time, but above it are skyscrapers that represent a great collision of history and neo-capitalism… Think of it, a city of three million swelling to 20 million in less than five decades. Despite all this, I have lived a fine life in this city. I’m one of those lucky people who has had the liberty to choose a path. I confess that it has not been easy. I worked hard and I still do. I have done my share for the cultural development of this city. That’s why I can’t be too hard on Istanbul, but we have to know the facts, right?”

Beral Madra was born in 1942, on the fourth floor of Nişantaşı’s landmark Ralli Apartments, which is currently the Consulate of Syria. She was exposed to art at a very young age. “Fahrünnisa Zeid lived one floor down. I could see her painting in the courtyard from the window of our flat. It was fascinating to watch her as a kid.” Madra’s family came to Istanbul from Crimea in the late 19th century. They first settled in Gedikpaşa before moving to Nişantaşı. Her big family lived together in the 12-room flat in the Ralli Apartments and later moved into a new apartment built by Beral’s father, Yahya Kefeli on Şakayık Street.

SCHOOL YEARS

The late teens are, perhaps, the years when we are most eager to understand the world around us. I ask Madra when she truly discovered Istanbul: “I started at the German high school after graduating from Nilüfer Hatun Primary School. Every morning, I used to take the bus from the corner of the Nişantaşı Police Station and get off at Tünel. Beyoğlu was a great discovery for me. Unlike what it is now, it was incomparably calm but also a vibrant and fun neighbourhood. The Istanbul pogrom happened in September 1955. I remember not being able to go to school in those days. Beyoğlu became sad and gloomy after that… The Beyoğlu that I watched looking out the bus window on my way to school and the streets I explored closer to Taksim, simply disappeared. I was a firsthand witness to the wave of immigrants arriving from all over Anatolia. Over time, I watched Beyoğlu change in several phases.

Being a student at the German high school undoubtedly broadened my perspective too. Imagine, we had teachers from Germany in the 1950s. Looking back now, I think the foundations of my lifelong political orientation were laid in those years. I witnessed the coup d’état of 1960. There were student uprisings during that period. Tensions were very high in Istanbul.”

She studied archeology at Istanbul University during its halcyon days. The iconic scholars of Anatolian archeology such as Halet Çambel, Jale Inan, Arif Müfit Mansel, Kurt Bittel and James Mellaart were lecturing there when Madra was a student. “Çambel would invite groups of students to his house, which was later donated to Boğaziçi University. I went there several times. I had the opportunity to study his personal archive. This was also where I witnessed how traditional life on the Bosporus really was. I also frequented Laleli. There was not a restaurant or even a cafe on the university campus. We would get something to eat from the local bakery. There were empty fields, historical buildings and shops around the campus. I loved wandering around the Grand Bazaar and Tahtakale in those years. But with the beginning of mass tourism, my trips there became less frequent. I will never go there again.”

Her interest and affiliation with art and the art world grew stronger after she married photographer Teoman Madra This is also a time when the Madra family spent more time in Ayvalık on Turkey’s west coast. During this period, Istanbul continued to metamorphose at an unprecedented rate. Migrants kept flocking in, the city kept on expanding and another coup d’état introduced fresh social trauma. Madra returned to Istanbul in 1980 with her husband and children. After a period of job hunting, Ali Muslubaş partner of architect Utarit İzgi offered her a position managing the Armo Art Gallery in Maçka. In the years that followed, Madra took a course on 20th-century art at Mimar Sinan University. Meanwhile, she managed to open her own gallery: Galeri BM, a small venue at the end of Valikonağı Street. This felt like the right time to ask how she got involved in the Istanbul Biennial.

“A CURATOR MUST REMAIN INDEPENDENT”

“I was invited to a meeting at the Istanbul Foundation of Culture and the Arts (IKSV) while I was lecturing at Mimar Sinan University. They told me about their plans to organise an international exhibition and offered me a place on the advisory board. After a year and a half on the board, I was promoted to coordinator. It wasn’t called a biennial back then. The project was called “Contemporary Exhibitions in Historic Venues”. We invited acclaimed curators like Germano Gelant and Norman Rosenthal for a workshop. A state of emergency was declared and the General who had directed the coup d’état became president. From the outside, Turkey didn’t look democratic at all. The private sector was suffering too. Just doing business is not adequate when you’re trying to make the shift to a liberal economy. You need to create brands and establish large business networks. The Biennial began to generate interest in historic venues. We chose unique places like Hagia Sophia and St. Irene in Istanbul’s Old City. We shortlisted the artists, developed concepts and did the installations. In a world divided into the West, the Soviets and the Third World, we wanted to use the Biennial to change the Third World image of Turkey on a global scale.”

* A Turkish artist best known for her large-scale abstract paintings with kaleidoscopic patterns, as well as drawings, lithographs and sculptures. Zeid was one of the first women to be allowed to attend art school in Istanbul.

The success of the project changed Turkey’s image as a country waiting to become a part of the First World. It also showcased the artistic production taking place in the country. Madra was also the curator of the second Istanbul Biennial. Gaining an international reputation helped Madra establish large networks. Around that time, she relocated Galeri BM to a larger venue on Akkavak Street. But this did not prevent her from doing pioneering work across a range of domestic and international platforms and creating exhibitions for the Venice Biennial for several years. I wonder why she did not curate the third Istanbul Biennial: “If you constantly curate projects for the same institution, there is a point where you start to reflect its ideology. A curator must always remain independent.”

“THE CULTURE INDUSTRY ALSO SERVES CAPITALISM”

Madra has always been very attuned to the economic and social changes taking place in Istanbul. She anticipated the transformation of Nişantaşı and closed Galeri BM before the consumer culture took over the neighbourhood.

First, she moved to Karaköy and then to historic Beşiktaş to open Kuad Gallery. Her favourite parts of the city and her routines related to the city have always been fluid concepts that change with the city itself.

“Throughout the 80s and 90s, I went to particular cafes in Tünel in Beyoğlu mainly because they had a vibrant art scene.

There was Şimdi Café which has somehow survived until today. It was my favourite place. In Beyoğlu, I used to go to St. Antoine Church to light candles. I never missed Christmas Eve services. I loved walking around Osmanbey and Kurtuluş. Finally, I moved to Bostancı in 2015 and I have been there ever since. I wander around Kadıköy and Bahariye. I like to see the old shops and houses here. Living in a city located on two continents does make life difficult, however this concept of ‘switching continents’ is an amazing aspect of the city that doesn’t exist in any other part of the world. You are constantly reminded of the scale of the world we live in. As I always say: Istanbul is a city of contradictions.”

Talking with Madra is like travelling back in time. Nearing the end of the interview, another question starts bugging me: What does a contradictory city’s art scene mean to society? “By visiting art exhibitions, members of society realise that another world can exist. I agree that some might be elusive, but art has stories to tell. People find an alternative world in art that is created by the artistic imagination and creativity. Art is an escape for people who are struggling in the face of great difficulty. It is comforting to see freedom of thought. Art and culture are both a part of brutal capitalism and the resistance against it. Let’s face reality, the culture industry also serves capitalism. But it isn’t necessarily an obedient servant. It creates a platform that persistently criticises the system from inside the system.”

In Conversation with Plants

Editor PELİN KESTANECİOĞLU

Photography NAZLI ERDEMİREL

I am in Fenerbahçe, a neighbourhood in Istanbul named after the city’s first lighthouse, an area that was formerly a popular summer resort and is now Murat Pilevneli ’s year-round home.

Pilevneli’ s house is a reflection of his uniquely vibrant personality. It is there that I will have a wonderful conversation with him, ranging from the landscape designer’s profession to his style, his passion for collectibles to the family heirloom, Petek Pension.

When Murat Pilevneli opens the door, I am pierced by the gaze of Salvador Dali After I manage to disengage from Ara Güler s classic portrait of the artist, I discover a room filled with a giant lump of quartz, antique furniture, a huge French chandelier with bronze inlay and a porcelain body, along with work by many artists like Yüksel Arslan, Eren Eyüboğlu and Gürbüz Doğan Ekşioğlu ranging the walls. These are clearly the signs of Pilevneli’s maximalist style. We begin by discussing his journey through life and how he turned his passion for plants into a profession. Pilevneli got a degree in traditional Turkish handcrafts. He started working in his family’s textile business but quickly discovered that he was not fond of knitwear. When his asthma was aggravated by particles in the yarn, he began to take an interest in indoor plants that could help alleviate his suffering. As an avid autodidact, Pilevneli also wanted to learn how to improve the quality of the air he was breathing, in general, in the industrial Merter neighbourhood. He started bringing potted plants to his office and then planting and landscaping around the workshop. In the meantime, his close friend Nora Romi s recommendation resulted in Pilevneli writing plant and garden design articles for the daily newspaper Milliyet. He once wrote an article about pine trees.“Which tree are you planning to decorate for the new year? It’s not good if your answer is the traditional pine tree. Please do not buy pines sold on the streets,” he wrote, now an advocate for plant life “It is very likely that they have been rooted or cut illegally. A dormant plant will form new shoots when it finds warmth and water, fooled into thinking that spring has come.”

MORE IS MORE

Pilevneli has a passion for writing, gardening, textiles and the craft of weaving, and an obsession that he has inherited from his father Mustafa for antiques. He has a growing vintage watch collection and has had an interest in jewellery since childhood. He likes to see different materials combined and loves yellow metals especially. His fondness for diversity can be seen in the colourful, ornate rugs and artwork that he puts together, and in the collages he makes while decorating the walls. The variety of picture frames, with their worn surfaces, which, taken together, seem to be an expression of his character. Imperfections appeal to him more than shiny, new objects. He likes to turn a seasoned stool salvaged from his grandfather’s textile factory into a side table. He also loves the versatility of his time-worn 1950s velvet sofa, which has by now absorbed many stories in its cushions and upholstery

“I MIMIC NATURE.”

Although Pilevneli sees himself as a gardener, he has designed the landscape of many large-scale hotels such as Maxx Royal Kemer and Bella Sombra Türkbükü. He has a clear concept of the relationship between plants and space: “Plants should not clutter. They should comfort the user, lighten a space and introduce beauty to it.”Whether indoors or out, Pilevneli always considers the expectations of architects when designing a landscape: “Ideally, someone looking at the end result should not notice what I recently did there. When I work with architects, I make sure that my work does not overshadow their design. I see the area I landscape as a whole with its floor cover, stones, and wall. My ideal is to bring the nature that lives outside, indoors, as if it has already lived there for many years.”

İSTANBUL

According to Pilevneli Istanbul is a diamond. “I like the Grand Bazaar the most. I could wander around there all day. I can put my bag on my back in the morning and go in and out of Istanbul’s antique shops till dusk. I also get the chance to meet a lot of extraordinary people there.” Beyti, Sanayi 313, Lokanta Kru, Çiya, Delicatessen, Petra Roasting Co. and Zula are among Pilevneli’s favourite haunts in the city. The landscape designer has strong ties to Sanayi313 and says he finds designer and owner Enis Karavil inspiring. Currently, they are collaborating on the design of a summer house in Bodrum. Pilevneli thinks that open spaces are crucial in summer houses. He has previously landscaped Maslak Sanayi313, where he tried to bring some colour to the space. “After the plants arrived, the furniture became more visible amidst the contrasting colours. They brought an appealing, green energy to Sanayi313.”

FIGURES WITH MANY STORIES

Pilevneli describes his father, a painter, as a person full of life. His house is full of his father’s work and the work of his friends. He talks about his father’s close friendship with photographer Ara Güler , architect Abdurrahman Hancı painter Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu , painter Orhan Peker writer Ferit Edgü painter Cihat Burak , artist Ergin İnan , painter İsmail Türemen , ceramic artist Atilla Galatalı and many other acclaimed artists and their frequent weekend gatherings. Among the familiar faces who used to turn up were artists such as Orhan Peker and Cihat Burak “These are people,” he says, “who always had a story to tell.” It must be a trait he carries in his genes. Pilevneli seems to collect people just like works of art. Trusting, lasting and deep-rooted friendships are of great importance to him.

PETEK PENSION

Another interesting story about Pilevneli concerns Petek Pension, which he inherited from his family. The house goes back to when owners started to transform their summer houses in Fenerbahçe into pensions during the 1960s. The building, which still exists, became a club where leading artists, architects and other interesting figures often spent time. “The people who stayed at Petek Pension were true ladies and gentlemen with their fashionable clothing, speech, accents and demeanour,” says Pilevneli . “But today, not many people know about Petek Pension. From the outside, you would never imagine it was a pension,” he admits.

Pilevneli is not fond of being in the limelight. Arousing curiosity is more appealing to him. This unpretentious stance is something that was passed down by his family. He has a dream of opening a shop there after the current renovations are complete. In it, he wants to create a unique space where he can entertain guests and share art and objects he has collected.

Today, I learned what a true Istanbulite is. I leave Pilevneli’s house with a sense of satisfaction. This time, Dali bids farewell to an informed and inspired Pelin, with a look in his eyes that suggests “I heard everything. I know everything.”

[1] Portrait of Salvador Dali by Ara Güler Günnur Özsoy’s Sculpture on the walls of Murat Pilevneli’s House

[2] A Scene from Murat Pilevneli’s Living Room

Gourmandism Runs in Her Blood

In pursuit of your dreams, working hard and listening to your inner voice. This defines the professional perspective of chef Şemsa Denizsel who is originally and proudly from Istanbul yet passionate about the coastal town of Ayvalık. She impressed Istanbul’s gourmets with Kantin restaurant in Nişantaşı years ago.

ŞEMSA DENİZSEL

Editor SİDNİ KARAVİL Photography NAZLI ERDEMİREL

We meet with Şemsa very spontaneously at Sanayi313 on a sunny autumn day. Şemsa shines when we start talking, which really boosts my energy. I feel that there is a strong and unusual bond between Şemsa and Istanbul. “I’m proud to be from Istanbul - enough to humiliate the rest of the world,” she says. Şemsa ’s family has been in Istanbul for generations. She considers it a privilege to be an Istanbulite, probably because she was raised on traditions and customs unique to the great city.

PAPER So why did you move from Istanbul to Ayvalık?

ŞEMSA DENİZSEL One morning in 2012, I woke up with the question, “What next?” . Kantin and everything I did there was done with passion and by keeping an ear open to my inner voice. But, if my inner voice was asking me such a question, then the passion there was a thing of the past. I was somewhat tired of running a restaurant. I did not know what to do, however, and it took me two years to find an answer to my question. One day, I came across an olive grove in Ayvalık. It was like love at first sight. I just stood there, staring at the trees, at their state. They were waiting for me. They were saying, “Let Şemsa grow and mature a little, then she can come and live with us” . I have had a house in Ayvalık since 1991, so I am familiar with olive trees, but what happened there was very unusual. The trees were literally calling me. It’s hard to explain in words.

P What is your zodiac sign?

ŞD Scorpio.

The countdown began for me from that moment. I told myself that I will grow old here. I’ll get up in the morning, drink my coffee in the frost, and have a nice drink in my hand at sunset.

None of us know what tomorrow has waiting for us. I think we should let go a little, but this does not mean not working, nor is it fatalism. You need to know that there is something greater than you, which requires a little submission. It took everyone by surprise, but there is nothing anyone can do about it. So, think about it: Should I be a captive of Kantin? No. You should not be a slave to anyone or anything.

AN AMALGAMATION OF LOCAL CUISINE

− TURKISH CUISINE

P How do you spend your days? What is your relationship with the trees and with Ayvalık?

ŞD Our year revolves around the trees. The year ends and the new year begins once we harvest the olives and get the oil. Yes, I have olive trees, they are very precious to me. I extract my oil and sell it, but I do not consider myself an olive farmer. I am a cook and I have never gotten tired of being a cook. I have knowledge and experience in this and I have a unique perspective. My life in Ayvalık revolves around this.

Gaziantep cuisine is one of the first that comes to mind when we mention Turkey abroad. Thanks to its richness and diversity, Turkey has great regional cuisines. What we call “Turkish cuisine” is actually a set of regional cuisines. I think North Aegean cuisine deserves to be world-renowned. I dreamed of constructing a world in an olive grove and introducing people to the local cuisine through my kitchen. I give cooking classes here, mainly in the spring and autumn. Istanbul is priceless, but Turkey is more than just Istanbul. There is such a place in Ayvalık too. Why doesn’t anyone know about it?

COOK’S GROVE

P Do foreigners come?

ŞD Yes, they do. My target audience has been foreigners from the very beginning. That’s why it’s called “Cook’s Grove”. The menu written on Kantin’s blackboard was always in Turkish. I advocate the proper use of Turkish. It is the language we are known for and it is crucial to use it properly. Americans come the most. We organize workshops. Depending on the length of the program, we first visit the local farmer’s markets, farms and producers, and then we get cooking. I’m looking for ways to reflect the culture of the place in the details of the cooking and in preparing to cook and I hope I succeed. I’m young. It’s all possible. She laughs.

OLIVE OIL DISHES, LAMB STEW AND BLUE FISH

P You talk about Istanbul very passionately, and I know that your love of cuisine comes from your family. Can you tell us a little about your childhood? Where did you live in Istanbul?

ŞD We were living in Üsküdar/Salacak when I was born. I was in Marmaris from 3 months to 7 years old. When I returned to Istanbul, we moved to Maçka Palas. I always lived around Teşvikiye and Nişantaşı after that. I also set up my business there. Kantin was opened as an artisanal diner, serving lunch. I used quality ingredients and cooked the type of dishes I made at home. I’m from Istanbul, of course, I will cook local dishes from Istanbul. I know how to make great olive oil dishes, lamb stew and bluefish.

WE ALWAYS ATE AT PROPERLY SET TABLES EVEN IF IT WAS ONLY THE THREE OF US.

ŞD Good food was always cooked in our house when I was a kid. My mother’s side came to Istanbul more recently than my father’s. Being Tatar, my mother was really into pastries. She was a very intellectual woman. In the 1970s she bought Elizabeth David s books for inspiration and cooked extraordinary meals. My father was also a very good eater. A good meal is cooked for a good eater. Appreciating the cook’s food is crucial.

My father’s side is from Istanbul. That’s where my knowledge of bluefish and stuffed vegetables comes from.

Everything was seasonal in our time. You would have the artichokes, followed by Sultani peas, tomatoes, bonito and bluefish. My father used to do the shopping for the house. He used to buy fish from the fish market, vegetables and fruits from the Üsküdar market, ducks from a particular farmer and pork chops from the famous Şütte delicatessen. That was a different Istanbul.

I also have to mention the table setting. Our table was always neat with white linen tablecloths, cutlery and cloth napkins. We always ate at properly set tables even if it was only the three of us.

P Would you eat out in Istanbul?

ŞD Good food was eaten at home. In Istanbul, we used to go to a restaurant called Kıyı about twice a month. Why that place? Because, aside from serving good food, it had good service. The waiters knew what to do. They had special knives for fish. They knew how to debone the fish. Kids need to learn about this.

COPPER COLLECTION

P What about your passion for copper?

ŞD That comes from my family too. My mother loved copper. My mother and aunt had a junk dealer they went to. I grew up walking around flea markets. My father was into it as well. Our house was full of old things. There

were some excellent copper pieces made by Armenian craftsmen. I now have a considerable copper collection inherited from my mother, father and aunt. I’m expanding the collection all the time.

P Do you have any guilty pleasures?

ŞD No. Nothing should be a guilty pleasure. You must enjoy the moment and what you eat.

P Your favorite gastronomic capital in the world?

ŞD London. Because you can find the best of everything.

P Your favorite vegetable to cook and eat?

ŞD Artichokes in spring, tomatoes in summer and leeks right now. I love everything in its proper season.

P Which dish do you most like to offer your guests?

ŞD Whatever I like eating at the time.

P Your favorite breakfast?

ŞD Turkish breakfast is the best. Everything with eggs. I’m mad about eggs.

P Must-have kitchen utensils? ŞD Knife.

TO ALL POSSIBLE CROSSINGS, BORDERS AND FLOWS: PERASMA İSTANBUL

Perasma inaugurated in September 2022, on the waters of the Golden Horn. Turner Prize nominated artist Martin Creed’s new work titled WATER was presented during Contemporary İstanbul at the vast 600 year old İstanbul Shipyards, founded in the natural harbor of the Golden Horn in İstanbul in 1455. This site, along with WATER, set the tone for our intention to host and connect different realities, build bridges within and beyond our home, İstanbul, and witness and construct different passages for arts and culture.

Pera is the location of our office and the venue for our first exhibition in February 2023. Perasma, meaning Passage in Greek is where the name Pera derives from. As an immigrant myself, I have had a specific connection with the layers of the neighborhood which is to me a promise of other possibilities as well as being the utmost home.

Silva Bingaz, a photographer with Turkish and Armenian origins, who lives and works in İstanbul is a dear friend as well as a long time collaborator. What I try to do with words, she does with images. Her understanding of urban landscapes and portraits of individuals allude to birth, death, strength, the unknown and unexpected, all while in search to connect beyond the specifics of time and place. Her distinct perception and experience of İstanbul has always had a major role in the journey of my personal curatorial practice, the relation my endeavors have had with this city and its connection to the “outside”. When we sat down with her to discuss how her images would accompany these pages, we doubtlessly started off with İstanbul, which the stranger passes through, where they stay, where they are hosted, where they are both wanted and unwanted. I wanted her to translate our phrases into her images. Her gentle

voice brought about words slowly. They moved the layers of time, talked about a past that grows without ceasing; expanding toward a now but with a gesture of lightness that is specific to Silva and the three works you see here came along organically.

Silva carries this city, its borders, openings, thresholds and its shores along, everywhere she goes. She revolves around the idea of being a stranger that she very well knows of. This volatile yet deeply rooted dialogue with the city, the thought of being an Insider and an Outsider at the same time has been one of the main inspirations in the formation of both Perasma İstanbul. During these days that have been keeping us busy about our first project to take place on “the other side of the water” this summer, it has been refreshing to invoke our muses and to think of our raison d’être in connection with one of the main actors of this process.

in dialogue with SİLVA BİNGAZ

Silva Bingaz Untitled (2002-2007)

Martin Creed Work No. 3667/ WATER 2022, White Neon

WHEN WE SAT DOWN WITH SILVA TO DISCUSS HOW HER IMAGES WOULD ACCOMPANY THESE PAGES, WE DOUBTLESSLY STARTED OFF WITH ISTANBUL.

Silva carries this city, its borders, openings, thresholds and its shores along, everywhere she goes. She revolves around the idea of be- ing a stranger that she very well knows of. This volatile yet deeply rooted dialogue with the city, the thought of being an Insider and an Outsider at the same time has been one of the main inspirations in the formation of both Perasma İstanbul. During these days that have been keeping us busy about our first project to take place on “the other side of the water” this summer, it has been refreshing to invoke our muses and to think of our raison d’être in connection with one of the main actors of this process.

BURCU FİKRETOĞLU Director Perasma Istanbul Silva Bingaz, Long Haired Girl Under the Galata Bridge (Insider Series), 2012

“O my soul, be prepared for the coming of the Stranger, Be prepared for him who knows how to ask questions.”

T.S. Eliot’s Choruses From

“The Rock”

Silva Bingaz, İstanbul and Painters, 2019

Oblong’s launch party brought together design editors and newgeneration artists who honored wood as a creative medium and discussed design ideas and maximalist references to the 1970s made by the Oblong pieces..

A NIGHT WITH OBLONG

Editor ALİ TUFAN KOÇ

Still Life Photography CİHAN ÖNCÜ

Event Photography TINA BOYADIJEVA

Istanbul on the inside and New York on the outside – introducing Sanayi313’s new furniture collection Oblong together with our impressions from the launch of the new series in New York.

Imagine a collection that promises all the nuances along the spectrum from minimalist to maximalist, serene to animated, calm to dynamic. Sanayi313 has been experimenting with new materials, proportions, and processes to materialize an image and now it is time to introduce Oblong, a new furniture collection that blends austerity with character.

The launch of Oblong was like a tale that shortened the distance between Istanbul and New York, two metropolises that can be considered distant cousins. Meanwhile, the table, chair, stool and coffee table designs featured in the collection irrefutably confirm the observational genius of 313’s director, Enis Karavil

Regarded as a rehearsal of this alliance, the launch night brought together the contrasting faces of Istanbul and New York. The host of the event, Love House, dazzled with numerous carefully selected materials that showcased a variety of tones. Love House is the brainchild of Jared Heinrich and Aric Yrakey

The two old friends felt compelled to create a broader platform (and retail concept) when their flat could no longer accommodate their growing design collection. Love House has also become the New York HQ of Sanayi313.

CASE SERIES NO

NAME OF THE PRODUCT

SANAYI313

OBLONG COLLECTION

MATERIAL

PIECES

6 MAZEL WOOD

STOOL /CONSOLE / LOW COFFEE TABLE / SIDE TABLE /DINING TABLE

[1] Co-founders of Love House New York Arik Yeakey & Jared Heinrich with Enis Karavil

[2] Ceramic Artist Elif Uras *See page 98 for more information

[3] Journalist Adrian Madlener

[5] Writer Osman Can Yerebakan, Director of Sanatorium Gallery Adnan Yerebakan

[6] Enis Karavil, Collector Serra Arıcan Kütük

“Gülsen, my wife and I have collected our first shell way back in 1961 along the Mediterranean coast at Karatas village near Adana, the same year we got married.”

HASAN GÜLEŞÇİ

[7] Co-founder of Dada Goldberg Defne Aydıntaşbaş, Designer Kickie Chudikova

[9] @archdigestpro Senior Editor Lila Allen

[10] Collector Naciye Koçak, Founder of PG Art Gallery

Pırıl Güleşçi Arıkonmaz

[11] Writer & Journalist Ali Tufan Koç, Founder and CEO of Hire Horatio Jose Herrera Pablo

SANAYI313 OBLONG

[12] Co-Founder and Former Executive Director of NYCxDESIGN Edward A. Hogikyan

HASAN GÜLEŞÇİ SEA SHELLS COLLECTION

powered by PG ART GALLERY

BODRUM MARITIME MUSEUM bodrumdenizmuzesi.org

FROM SOLID TO CONTEMPORARY WITH PIERRE FORSSELL

Editor SEBLA TANIK

Still Life Photography CİHAN ÖNCÜ

Pierre Forssell was born in Stockholm, one of the powerhouses of Scandinavian style, which is distinguished by its simplicity and functionality. In the early 1940s, this design movement was only in its infancy but it grew and flourished as Forssell was growing and beginning to flourish. At 18, Forssell started a course in Decorative Painting at Konstfack University's Fine Arts & Design Collegein Stockholm where he shared the classroom with figures such as Beng Lindström. New trends and ideas started to emerge across Scandinavia towards the end of the Second World War and design became a hot topic. During those years, university students played an important role in nurturing artistic, philosophical and architectural movements. The young generation was striving to create a distinct Scandinavian style. They wanted to bring a certain gusto into households and replace traditional, conservative designs with simple, timeless and durable pieces, using raw materials and textures. This was when Pierre Forssell decided to pursue silversmithing instead of decorative painting. This change brought

him into the sphere of pioneering silverware brand Atelier Borgila. Despite his youth, the talented Forssell became a designer for the brand, whose clientele included royalty.

Pierre Forssell quit his full-time job at Atelier Borgila at the age of 27 and took on freelance jobs in order to lecture at Konstfack. He designed the cutlery sets Spectra and Piruett in the first half of the 1950s. Forssell also produced stainless steel household items. But his real breakthrough came with a salt and pepper shaker. These conical dispensers were exhibited at the Hälsingborg and H55 fairs in 1955. Forssell ’s functional and unique designs began to gain popularity around the same time as Scandinavian design, in general. Forssell ’s rigid but laid back look and contemporary, minimalist approach were welcomed by anti-traditionalists and trendsetters alike.

Early in his career, Forssell received an offer that he could not refuse from Skultuna, originally a brass foundry established by King Charles IX of Sweden in 1607. Forssell replaced Eric Fleming, the legendary cookware designer, marking the beginning of a collaboration that would last more than three decades. As the company’s chief designer, Forssell worked in a 17th-century house in Skultuna Brännugnsbacken from the early 50s to the mid-80s. He focused on brass and worked closely with Franz Goldberg, a talented craftsman who prepared the brass that would be shaped by Forssell. At Skultuna, Forssell transformed brass into a popular material with his bold, contemporary perspective and Scandinavian style. His iconic designs for Skultuna include solid brass vases with six crown points, the Tulpan and Aniara candlesticks, the Reflex and Pendulum wall lamps made in the 1960s, and a brass decanter with wooden cork from the 1970s.

Forssell ’s plain yet definitive style has also found a following among today’s design-conscious generation. He might have passed away in 2004 but his legacy lives on in his designs, which have become centrepieces in the homes of the Swedish elite.

It’s past time to explore Pierre Forssell’s creative genius, which is now, proudly, a part of the Sanayi313 vintage objects collection.

We travel to Sweden with Pierre Forssell in pursuit of quintessential Scandinavian style.

A FEAST FOR THE PALATE

Sanayi313 chefs Kansu Gezer and Erdem Ateş share their favourite recipes. Kansu fuses two ingredients that you may never have seen together − Pumpkin and Sea Bass. Meanwhile, Erdem teaches us how to make meatballs with eggplant purée, a classic and much-loved Turkish dish.

Food Photography CİHAN ÖNCÜ

Food Stylist ONUR ERAYBAR

PUMPKIN SEA BASS

INGREDIENTS

Seabass: 180 gr (deboned and filleted)

Pumpkin: 1 whole slice (peeled and cleaned)

4-5 leaves of fresh chard: (stems removed)

2 baby potatoes

2 stems of asparagus

DIRECTIONS

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 onion

1 carrot

Parsley, bay leaf

1 Rinse the fish bone under cold water and place it in a deep pot together with onions, carrots, a few parsley stems and a couple of bay leaves. Add cold water to cover the ingredients. Place the pot over medium heat and boil for 20-25 minutes. Strain the stock and set aside.

2 Cut the pumpkin into large chunks and place them in a saucepan. Add the fish stock until the chunks are half immersed. Cover the pan and cook until the pumpkin is tender and soft.

3 Wash the baby potatoes and cut them in half. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and olive oil before baking them for 10-12 minutes at 180 degrees.

4 Remove the thick lower stems of the asparagus, boil for 3 minutes in the remaining fish stock (stock should already be at a boil) and set aside.

5 Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper. Bake for 6-8 minutes at 200 degrees depending on their size. Sauté the chard in a hot pan with a little olive oil and salt.

6 When the pumpkin is cooked, season it with salt, pepper and coriander seeds before mixing in a blender, a little bit at a time, until smooth and creamy.

7 Spread the sauce over the plate, add potatoes, asparagus and chard and then place the fish on top, drizzling it with olive oil before serving.

ABOUT CHEF KANSU GEZER

I got a degree in electrical and electronics engineering before changing course and enrolling at the Culinary Arts Academy. Memories of my first interactions with food are quite vague. The first kitchen experience I remember is making cookies with my grandma when I was a toddler. I doubt I did more than make weird shapes, but I must have enjoyed myself because I pestered my mother to buy me a Play-Doh after that. The concept of food is interesting. The aim is to bring people together over a need we all share but it remains open to different interpretations. It is deeply connected to the past and memories of both the cook and the consumer of the food. That is why there is no clear definition of what is right and wrong in the kitchen. The only thing that remains constant is cooking techniques. The important thing is to know that there are subtle details to consider when making something simple like buttered rice or the perfect burger, from the patty to the bun.

CHEF’S TIP: Pumpkin will be used to make a sauce for this dish, so when you ask your fishmonger to fillet your sea bass, get the bones as well: The trick to giving this dish more flavour is using fish stock.

RECIPE NOTES

Portrait Photography NAZLI ERDEMİREL

A NETWORK OF INTERCONNECTED ROOTS

Editor GÖKÇE BURDURLU CÖMERT

Introducing Galerie Philia, a new kind of platform where artistic flare and philosophy are reanimated by a curation that contradicts conventional templates. Galerie Philia creative director Alban Roger tells us about the codes of this heterogeneous platform, which also includes Enis Karavil’s work, and his personal approach to design.

PAPER Mr. Roger, Galerie Philia was founded by two brothers. Can you tell us where their passion for design comes from and why they decided to open Galerie Philia?

ALBAN ROGER Galerie Philia was born from a desire to see an organic aesthetic develop within the collectible design community, and to also strengthen that community around the gallery. Philia means the ‘highest form of love’ in Ancient Greek. It also means ‘friendship’ or ‘affection’. This is the basis of any creative endeavor on which we embark. The word ‘philia’ is also the foundation of our residency program Transhumance, during which we invite artists to gather and create exclusive pieces in different locations throughout the world.

P Would it be correct to describe Galerie Philia as an international talent scouting platform?

AR We definitely take pride in having trained the spotlight on talents we believed in from the very beginning. We do not recognize any hierarchy in the way we present and exhibit artists. By doing shows this way we have been able to spark conversations emerging only from the beauty of the pieces, free of any other factors but emotion.

P As the creative director of Galerie Philia, what qualities do you look for in a design? How would you explain Galerie Philia’s aesthetic?

AR We always search for a moment of poesy, and for the tension necessary to make our viewers and collectors pause and truly connect with the pieces. We love immersive experiences and we are not shy about using more than one medium to convey an emotion. We aim to create by including sound and scents to complete that immersive bubble.

P In addition to your permanent galleries in New York, Geneva, Singapore and Mexico, Galerie Philia often organizes temporary exhibitions. Can you tell us the context of those exhibitions? Are there any exhibitions or events already planned for 2023?

AR Turkey, Italy, the Dominican Republic and, of course, New York are just some of the stops we have laid out for the coming year. By keeping things nomadic we allow inspiration to happen at any moment. During the trips we

take to various cities we discover we can propel our imagination and break the barriers that might otherwise confine our vision.

P Mr. Roger, as an individual whose professional life is deeply rooted in design can you name a favorite period in design history? Also, what is your favorite designer piece in your home?

AR I am very comfortable in my time. I truly enjoy the present and what the future has to offer. We are in a time where artists and creatives aren’t afraid to reference the past or shape the future. I am very happy to work with our generation’s greatest talents and therefore being able to take part in the current discussion. My favorite pieces at home are a perfect example of that. I own two Invisible Tower TOTEM Floor Lamps by Casellafrom the mid-20th century, which I adore. They flank two chairs by contemporary artist Pietro Franceschini. In my opinion, it is impossible to discern the vintage piece within the contemporary one,as their designs are timeless.

P Where are your favorite holiday destinations? Which cities inspire you the most and why?

AR I truly love the Dominican Republic and the wild beaches of the north of the island. But I stay loyal to my native southern France as well. I enjoy the way of life there and the design coming out of both regions where traditional craft comes into play. Ancestral savoir faire is deeply reassuring to me, but also a fantastic base for reinvention and reinterpretation.

P How did you first come across Enis Karavil and his designs? For which elements of his design language does Galerie Philia have an affinity?

AR Scouting the world for talent is a passion we all share at Galerie Philia, and this is how we discovered Enis Karavil’s work. We are always drawn to noble material and his work with wood was what drew us first into his universe. There is a true respect for the material but at the same time a real desire to create something striking out of it and with a certain playfulness that got our attention.

galerie-philia.com

[2] All rooms in the showroom are decorated like a home where someone is actually in residence. Furniture and fabrics in pastel tones are preferred in the bedroom.

[3] With a focus on sculptural forms, some of the items included in the “ Hometown ” exhibition were custom-made.

[1] The lounge of the apartment that Galerie Philia converted into a temporary showroom in New York’s Walker Tower.

MARGIELA

THE HERMÈS YEARS

A REVOLUTION HAS MANY FACES

The late 1980s was a time when the entire creative industry was infatuated with exaggeration, vanity, and the ‘more is more’ movement. The fashion scene was flooded with attention-seeking figures who were battling to design brighter, bolder and more striking creations. Using deconstruction as a form of art or showcasing collections anywhere else but the catwalk was completely unheard of.

After graduating from the Royal Academy of Arts Antwerp in 1980, Martin Margiela spent the first three years of his career working for Jean Paul Gaultier. In 1988, he founded the Maison Martin Margiela brand with Jenny Meirens. At the zenith of this period, the brand – identified with its 4-stitch logo – first took Paris by storm and then the world.

Margiela hated the catwalk and he made it a principle to conceal both his name and face behind his brand. He used the calmness of white everywhere from the labels to the workshop. Margiela had set up a fashion laboratory, so to speak. The workshop was white and so were the workers’ aprons. He showcased his collections in black and white and placed dry cleaning bags over his clothes. The rebellious, but equally dignified, prodigy of the industry made headlines with every collection he created for Maison Martin Margiela, but getting a photo of him was out of the question, let alone an interview. In some of the rare interviews – where the questions were answered in writing via fax by his press agent – the tone was always inclusive of everyone working for the brand; ‘we/us’ was always preferred to ‘me/I’. For Margiela, his values and the simplicity of his approach to design required him to stay out of the limelight. His magic lay in making the ordinary extraordinary. He gained global acclaim between 1997 and 2003 when he was appointed the creative director of Hermès’women’s ready-to-wear collection.

News of Hermès, the epitome of “classic, noble and flawless” in the fashion circuit, hiring the most radical fashion designer of the moment sent shockwaves through the industry. Headlines strongly criticised Hermès CEO JeanLouis Dumas, writing “he bet on the wrong horse”

Hiring daring celebrity designers and letting them create as many branded products as possible might be one of the biggest marketing campaigns of the century. It all started with Gucci hiring Tom Ford. Later it was Christian Dior hiring John Galliano and then Givenchy onboarding Alexander McQueen. The impact on the industry was profound. Finding common ground between the elusive Martin Margiela and these extroverted characters who had helped rejuvenate cult brands with their collections as much as their personalities and their love of the limelight was not an easy task. Here you had a designer who had never made an appearance at any of his shows; his very existence was questioned by journalists. He never worked with supermodels. Instead, he preferred real women he respected for their work or character. Hiring someone like Margiela during a period when visibility was the main money-making strategy for brands did not make sense. Besides these personal choices, Margiela’s interest in vintage and his passion for deconstructing vintage pieces was in stark contrast to Hermès’ seemingly rigid traditionalist outlook.

For the majority, this was a collaboration that was “doomed to fail” That same majority, however, was judging this collaboration from a superficial point of view and interpreting the products as discrete items. In the end, they were proven wrong. This partnership gave rise to some of the most enduring and iconic collections in fashion history. The global success of his subsequent 12 women’s readyto-wear collections is probably best summarised by JeanLouis Dumas who said, “I prefer to think that our clientele has ‘bon pied, bon oeil’. A ‘good eye’ to appreciate the beauty and harmony that we always strive to give our products and a ‘good foot’ because elegance, for Hermès, has meaning only in movement. Theirs is a quest for ease and comfort, legacies of our original trade in harnesses and saddlery.” The Hermès 1998-1999 Autumn-Winter collection confirmed that Margiela was the perfect fit for Dumas, who was eager for change and transformation but wanted to inject a contemporary quality to the traditions that had defined Hermès since 1837.

Editor DENİZ BULUTSUZ

[1] Maison Martin Margiela Automne-Hiver 1990-1991 silhouettes dans le premier showroom de la Maison Martin Margiela, rue Réaumur à Paris.

“ Hospital-coat white meets sunset orange”

Today, major brands boast about Hermès’ “sustainable clothing, capsule collections, and casual yet stylish items”. But few of us realise that Margiela was the one who pioneered these concepts during his years working for the house. In essence, it was about creating versatile designs using high-quality fabrics for endurance, all without compromising comfort. This trend brought a new look to the traditional perception of luxury. At Hermès, Margiela introduced transitions in tone rather than colour and focused on shifting the concept of luxury toward sophistication and elegance rather than toward the creation of yet more branded items. He insisted on having absolute independence in making decisions related to the creation of the collections. His radical first step was to get rid of nearly all the “visible” elements identified with Hermès. Chequered scarves, printed fabrics and vibrant colours never found a place in his work. When Dumas asked what luxury meant to him, Margiela replied “designs that combine quality, comfort, and timelessness.” In fact, there could be no better remark to summarise his career at Hermès.

Margiela was not concerned with finding a different theme for each season or delivering a distinct look across each of the 12 collections he created. He preferred to focus on creating designs that complemented, nourished and transformed each other, an approach that yielded many iconic Hermès designs. The six-holed walnut wood buttons were a sophisticated summary of how a brand could distinguish itself from others without branding and labels. There were also the billowing, no-crease, waterproof fabrics that suited multiple occasions, the acclaimed Cape Cod double tour watch featured in cult design books, the ever-popular Initiale bag and, of course, the Vareuse vest – probably one of the best deep- V-décolleté designs ever made – to name only a few. Versatile designs that suited a variety of needs was a priority, but Margiela also wanted his designs to take on a new form with every move when worn on the powerful and resolute modern women that he was targeting. Coats without belts or buttons and pockets hidden in unusual parts of the jacket encouraged the wearer to move with the outfit and create a unique personal style. The interior of each item was designed and sewn with the same care as the exterior; most pieces were even reversible, thanks to careful, clever detailing and seamless design.

Models of various ages and sizes were chosen from real life. When the time came for fittings, Margiela gave the women their own space, allowing them to sit and stand, bend over and turn. This level of freedom given to the usual model who had been expected to proceed straight down the catwalk was surprising, but it was nonetheless an indispensable element in Margiela’s process of designing a collection that was alive and comfortable.

The 21st century might have bombarded us with, and often hollowed out, the concepts of timelessness, body affirmation, loving your age, sustainability, sport-chic and versatility, but these were the elements that defined Margiela’s design. Coupled with the forward-thinking attitude of Hermès, it paved the way for one of the most silent but radical fashion revolutions of the 20th century. Margiela questioned the building blocks of the fashion system with an avant-garde outlook at a time when ‘slow fashion’ was unheard of in the industry. He is still remembered as one of the key figures of this movement.

In 2017, shortly after Margiela left the brand, the collections he created for Hermes were showcased in an exhibition at Belgium’s acclaimed Antwerp* Fashion Museum (MoMu), which is located in the designer’s hometown. The immense success of this curation inspired two more exhibitions a year later at the Palais Galliera and Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

This article was inspired by the book accompanying the exhibition “Margiela, The Hermès Years”, which provides a comprehensive chronology of Margiela’s creative genius.

*See page 27 for more information on Antwerp.

MARGIELA WAS NOT CONCERNED WITH FINDING A DIFFERENT THEME FOR EACH SEASON OR DELIVERING A DISTINCT LOOK ACROSS EACH OF THE 12 COLLECTIONS HE CREATED. HE PREFERRED TO FOCUS ON CREATING DESIGNS THAT COMPLEMENTED, NOURISHED AND TRANSFORMED EACH OTHER, AN APPROACH THAT YIELDED MANY ICONIC HERMÈS DESIGNS.

THE EARTH WHISPERER

Alper Aydın is a young artist who has focused his curiosity on the physical characteristics of the geography he lives in and the perfect and unique order found in nature. We met with him in his hometown of Ordu to talk about the Fata Morgana exhibition that will also be held in Ordu beginning June 22 2023.

PAPER May we get to know you better?

ALPER AYDIN I was born in Cape Yason in Ordu in northern Turkey. I spent most of my childhood on these beaches and in nature. I think my artistic talent and my love for observing nature merged as I grew up and created who I am today. I studied fine arts and photography in high school and read extensively on art history to understand art from a broader perspective. In the 2000s, I remember feeling severe anxiety that nothing was left for me to do. I went to Ankara for university and studied to become an art teacher. The different artistic disciplines I studied made

me realise that my fear was unfounded. When there was nothing more for me to take from school, I felt the urge to explore the third dimension. It was very tempting to walk around a sculpture, feel free from the confinement of a frame and make something that I can touch. That’s why I studied sculpture. I joined an Erasmus program in Italy between 2007 and 2011. I consider myself very lucky because my teachers there were Giovanni Beato, who was once the Vatican’s official sculptor, and Franko Black, a world-famous performance artist.

P Then you returned to Ordu, where the story began…

AA Yes. Studying in Ankara affected me both positively and negatively. For someone born and raised in a place like Ordu, Ankara can feel somewhat gloomy. I made sure to return to Ordu at every opportunity. Ankara made me think at length about Ordu from an artistic perspective and I ended up basing my work on the place I was born and grew up rather than on classical sculpture or painting practices.

P Can you explain what fata morgana means and what connection it has with your exhibition?

AA There is a geographic phenomenon in Ordu that only a skilled observer can spot, and only occasionally. When the sun’s rays hit the sea evenly on a bright day, the horizon disappears and all objects like ships in the sea appear to be levitating mid-air. This phenomenon is called fata morgana. There is the real world we live in, but there is also another reality where we can see things that are surreal. I’m trying to say that the realities we perceive may not be real.

P Fata Morgana spreads over an area of approximately 50 hectares in Ordu. This will be the biggest solo exhibition of land art in Turkey. What kind of experience can the audience expect when your works are spread across such a large area?

AA The main aim of this exhibition is to demonstrate my harmony with nature, to show that humans are a biological part of nature, and to make visitors aware of that. I also have another purpose: Many artists exhibit their art in limited spaces with the support of institutions. There is little in the name of art outside Istanbul and Ankara. I want to show people that there are alternatives. I think Fata Morgana has a mission that shatters institutionalisation and boundaries.

P I was really impressed with your work “The Real Weight of Stones”...

AA While travelling from Ankara to Ordu, I thought and read a lot about how we communicate with nature. I finally realised that we attribute value to our current lifestyles based on commodities, borders and numbers. I wanted to show that what really matters is that nature created us. Whatever is valuable in a person’s mind, whether it be borders, corners, geometric forms or numbers, I realised that I could draw attention and create a dialogue between people and nature by using nature itself. Scientists have taught me that it is possible to find knowledge about the world and humanity contained within a single rock. In fact, there are findings that suggest that some rocks found on our planet are even older than the planet itself. So, I thought that if we were going to reveal the truth, we could only do so with rocks. I want to tell you a story. My grandfather owns 2.5 hectares of land in the highlands of Cape Yason. Once upon a time, there were rocks weighing four to seven tonnes on his property. At that time there was no technology to work the land, so my grandfather used extremely primitive methods to clear the rocks from his land. I heard this story from my father after I had started thinking about rocks. I realised that I was continuing what my grandfather had started with rocks and nature, but coming from a different perspective.

P After I came to Ordu and listened to you talk about your project, I thought that I was witnessing an artist’s biggest dream come true. Yet, I’m sure you have bigger dreams for the future.

AA Yes, that’s correct! This was really my biggest dream and it will probably be my first and last exhibition in Ordu. I was born and raised here, I did 90% of my work here, but no one among the locals here has physically seen my work. Fata Morgana is my way of paying my debt to nature, and this planet. I wanted to share this consciousness with the people here, and show even those who cannot visit in person that an exhibition can be held in such a place in collaboration with nature. I have also planned my future exhibitions. They will still be about this world and ecology, albeit in different contexts and different places.

Alper Aydın Instagram: @alperaydinart

Editor SEBLA TANIK

Photography TÜRKAN AYDIN, ALPER AYDIN

[2] The artist working on “Post-Apocalyptic Narrative”

[3] “Organic Defects” Installation on volcanic stone, 9 m, Sarı Su, Ordu, Turkey, 2015

Glass lantern, Yason, Ordu, Turkey, 2015

VENICE’S 18TH INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION

Editor GÖKÇE BURDURLU CÖMERT

Curated by academic, educator, and best-selling novelist Lesley Lokko, the Architecture Exhibition shifts its focus to the African continent with the theme “The Laboratory of the Future” for which participants have been invited to propose new solutions to pressing global problems.

Seeking solutions to problems like water and food shortage, deforestation, international relations and plastic pollution with the participation of 21 countries across Europe, North America and Asia, Venice’s 18th International Architecture Exhibition will be on display until November 26th 2023 in various venues across the city, including the Giardini and the Arsenale.

Employing various media to present a unique vision, every exhibition distills ideas to create a unique story. The Venice Biennal is the longest-running biennial in the world

and has the scope and attendance to make it a pioneer in conveying large stories to large audiences. There is a great deal of liberty this platform has to offer but the reason Lesley Lokko chose this year’s theme – “The Laboratory of the Future” – lies both in her Ghanaian roots and her long experience in the field of architecture. “Africa, is the world’s youngest continent, with an average age half that of Europe and the United States, and a decade younger than Asia. We are the world’s most rapidly urbanising continent, growing at a rate of almost 4% per year. This rapid and largely unplanned growth

is generally at the expense of the local environment and ecosystems,” she says. According to Lokko, the Biennal is already a laboratory that explores whether contemporary architectural practices will have any validity in the future. Putting buildings, forms and materials aside, she believes that architecture has the potential to determine the way we perceive the world. As new waves of technology emerge and become obsolete, we find the opportunity to experience places that we will never go to, and more importantly, never comprehend. These technologies also feed the need to be individual and universal simultaneously, which are seemingly shaped by the immediate environment even while global dynamics are undeniably at play. Speaking in materialistic terms, we must take into account that the built and natural environments around us actually have positive and negative impacts on the whole world. At the point where this consciousness gradually grows in humanity, Lokko goes one step further and invites architects to demonstrate their scientific and artistic abilities to produce rational solutions for the rapidly

growing African continent. “At an anthropological level, we are all African. And what happens in Africa happens to us all,” she says.

Competitions on a national scale were organized to determine who would participate in the exhibition, one of the most prestigious architectural events in the world. We are proud that the Turkish founders of architectural office So Istanbul, Sevince Bayrak and Oral Göktaş, have been invited to participate. Bayrak and Göktaş’ s installation “Ghost Stories: the Carrier Bag Theory of Architecture” explores how architects can transform old buildings so that they can contribute to the fabric and life of the city rather than tearing them down or leaving them to their fate.

The Turkish Pavilion is being coordinated by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture & Arts (IKSV), with the support of Turkey’s Ministry of Culture & Tourism, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, and co-sponsored by Schüco Turkey and Vitra. labiennale.org

[1] Venice Architecture Exhibition venue, Gaggiandre.

Photo: Andrea Avezzu.

[2] Centrale Giardini.

Photo: Francesco Galli.

[3] Venice Architecture Exhibition venue, Corderie.

Photo: Giulio Squillacciotti.

[4] The Ghanaian capital, Accra. Photo: Festus Jackson-Davis.

DİRİMART PREPARES TO TAKE ON THE WORLD AGAINST ALL ODDS

Describing Arslan’s work based on art history methodologies would be pointless. It would be equally difficult to offer a definition of the content, materials, or intentions. Arslan found ways of transcending conventional categories to create highly personalised ones for his creations. He used words and materials that could express his views of the world, and his work, which was so in lockstep with his life, went beyond the traditional boundaries of his genre.

AYŞE ERKMEN AT THE MUSEUM LUDWIG

P What makes Ayşe Erkmen’s work so unique? What is the logical construct of her art?

YÜKSEL ARSLAN’S WORK IN THE GUGGENHEIM ABU DHABI COLLECTION

PAPER Dirimart’s appearance at the Abu Dhabi art fair resulted in Yüksel Arslan’ s work being included in the Guggenheim’s permanent collection. Can you tell us more about how this happened?

SÖ It all started about a year before the Abu Dhabi art fair, in November 2022, when curator Jessica Cerasi was in Istanbul on behalf of the Guggenheim. During our meeting with Jessica, she told us about how the museum’s collection, which had a focus on post-1960s work, was still in its infancy. Several more meetings followed, mostly concerning the artist Yüksel Arslan. Selecting from among the artist’s many unique works was not easy for the museum, but ultimately, five were chosen. The museum came to us with an important request before signing off on the sale: Permission to exhibit the works at the Abu Dhabi art fair for all Guggenheim curators to see firsthand. Besides meeting the curators, the fair was an opportunity to take part in the comprehensive restoration process. We knew our efforts were not in vain when we received the museum’s email confirming the purchase a few weeks after the fair.

P Yüksel Arslan employs a unique technique in his art that he calls “arture”. Can you elaborate on this technique and what makes the artist special?

LÖ Erkmen’s work is unique because it takes new forms depending on the perspective of the onlooker and the specific location in which it is viewed. The work by Erkmen that is now part of the Ludwig’s collection represents her quest to fulfill the sculptural potential of randomly generated forms that appear when they are coloured. Alternatively, when you visualise the negatives of each work you can see the unused parts of the material. Her art can be perceived through the voids that it contains, creating the perfect expression of the artist’s silent but unbelievably rich imagination.

P What does Dirimart think of Ayşe Erkmen?

SÖ Similar to the way philosophers bend and mould concepts and invent new ways of seeing things, Ayşe Erkmen bends space and its elements while exploring the potential of the conventional. You know it is Ayşe Erkmen’s work when you see one.

SEÇKİN PİRİM AT THE PRIVATE MUSEUM SINGAPORE

P Seçkin Pirim’s “Three Times Three Squares” was exhibited at the Art SG Fair in Singapore and this resulted in the work being included in the permanent collection of The Private Museum. Can you explain how it all happened?

No one can argue that the art scene in Turkey maintains the vibrancy it enjoyed in the early 2000s. The stalemate was augmented by the sad fact that the Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum and the country’s first contemporary art museum, the Istanbul Modern, were closed for 10 and five years, respectively.

As an art gallery that wears the abilities of Turkish artists on its sleeve and takes pride in representing their work in the international arena, Dirimart is a rarity on the current scene. Work by artists in the gallery’s portfolio has been showcased at prestigious fairs and art centres around the world, including those in New York, London, and Hong Kong. Recently, Dirimart has supported Nasan Tur’s solo exhibition at the Berlinische Galerie and İnci Eviner’s appearance in a collective exhibition focusing on female artists at LACMA (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art).

While established museums have lost their financial clout following the pandemic, the Dirimart team believes that the gallery can and should assume some of the respon -

sibilities previously shouldered by museums. As discussed with Jessica Cerasi, one of the curators of the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi, international museums are now more inclined than ever to discover artists through galleries. For this reason, the gallery may become an important influence on the quality of the artistry it represents. As well as promoting work through artistic programming, their presence at art fairs, in exhibition catalogues, and in art books, Dirimart also focuses – at the micro level, so to speak – on improving the workshops of the artists it represents.

A lot has happened in the last six months concerning Dirimart artists. Five works by Yüksel Arslan, were included in the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi permanent collection. Ludwig Museum acquired Ayşe Erkmen’ s sculptures from the “Sections” series for their permanent collection, and Seçkin Pirim’s sculpture “Three Times Three Squares” is now in Singapore’s The Private Museum.

We talked to gallery directors Senem Özgören and Levent Özmen about these recent purchases.

SÖ Arslan was an avid bibliophile who engrossed himself in literary classics during his student years. His bizarre early drawings of animals and insects were first exhibited in 1954, and he spent all his earnings on buying more books. This cycle repeated itself consistently throughout his 60-year career. His passion to read more was the driving force that made him continue to draw. Later, his readings became the subject of his art and he tried to describe these books on paper, possibly in an attempt to categorise his knowledge. In 1961, he named his work arture, a self-proclaimed term he derived by combining the word art with the French suffix ure. An artist in the truest sense of the word, Arslan studied a book on Anatolian paintings and used ancient recipes to produce paints that would remain vivid on paper for centuries. In contrast to modern synthetic paints, these recipes resorted to ingredients such as soap shavings, plants, tobacco, tea water, soil, honey, egg white, oil, bone marrow, urine and blood. With these high-quality recipes, Arslan was able to communicate his perception of the world on paper.

SÖ It was a rollercoaster ride for us since everything happened so quickly on the last day of the fair. It was hard to imagine that we would be signing off on a third sale so soon. Out of the three sales, this is definitely the one that was the most unexpected. On the other hand, it is not surprising that Seçkin Pirim’s work found this recognition since, besides being an amazing piece, he consistently does a great job conveying whatever topic he is focusing on.

P “Three Times Three Squares” is inspired by worship and reclusion. I feel that there is always a connection between the work and the culture of the museum acquiring it. What do you think?

SÖ&LÖ Purchasing is always a tedious process for museums. The work must have a degree of connection with the location, collection, mission and vision of the museum. We know that purchasing teams take these decisions on behalf of museums but museums are public spaces, so how the work relates to its audience, at large, is always a key consideration. Ultimately, it is these works of art that will play a significant role in the communication strategy of the museum. So, as you mentioned, the fact that “Three Times Three Squares” has some affinity with many concepts in Asian cultures has played a role in this purchase.

[1] Yüksel Arslan’ s work in the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Collection

[2] Seçkin Pirim at The Private Museum Singapore.

[3] Ayşe Erkmen at The Museum Ludwig.

PROTECTING ISTANBUL’S CULTURAL HERITAGE

Editor GÖKÇE BURDURLU

CÖMERT

The Istanbul Heritage project is an initiative of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), aiming to restore the city’s culturally significanthistoric structures and repurpose them for the benefit of the public. We talked to IMM Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat about this major initiative, which is an homage to the centuries-old cultural diversity of the communities that have made Istanbul their home.

PAPER Can you summarise the mission of the IMM Heritage project?

MAHIR POLAT We founded the IMM Heritage project in 2019, shortly after we took office following the most recent local elections. According to our research, there are 35,210 cultural assets listed in Istanbul. This equals one-third of the cultural assets in all of Turkey. There is a staggering amount of historical and cultural wealth here.

Preserving and restoring cultural assets is essential in terms of creating space for today while leaving a legacy for future generations. The task is daunting. Everything has to be considered, including acquiring restoration permits, completing project design phases, and bringing together teams of experienced specialists. You also need a broad vision and a comprehensive roadmap to guide each phase. The vision put forward under the direction of IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is to protect Istanbul’s cultural and industrial historical heritage in a holistic manner and without discrimination. Our transparent and inclusive restoration projects are in the hands of our professional team of 306 experts and guided by the team spirit of IMM Heritage.

P Istanbul is a cradle of civilisations. Derelict historical buildings from different periods can be found all over the city. Which neighbourhoods have the highest number of historic buildings? Is there a specific district where your activity is more concentrated?

MP Our work spreads across the city. Right now, projects of various scales continue at 1200 locations. It goes without saying that historical buildings are mostly located in the central and the oldest districts such as Fatih, Beyoğlu, Eyüpsultan, Kadıköy, Üsküdar, Beşiktaş, Şişli. I can say that our work is now mainly focused on Istiklal Avenue, and in Galata, Fatih and Eyüpsultan with the aim of diversifying the arts and cultural attractions of Istanbul. In the case of the Beyoğlu district, we have started with the restoration of the historical MAKSEM Art Gallery in Taksim Square. This will be connected to the Galatasaray Square exhibitions and then to Beyoğlu Cinema further down Istiklal Avenue. The scheme will then continue with the Muammer Karaca Theatre and the new art and design centre of the city, the Botter Apartment, and finally, reach Metrohan in Tünel Square. These buildings will certainly add vitality to Istiklal Avenue with their new functions and their focus on culture and the arts. IMM Heritage will soon be extending this area with another phase of the project that includes the 250-year-old St. Pierre Han and Kuyumcu Han in Karaköy.

P The number of early 20th-century buildings converted to commercial use - with cheap makeovers - is on the rise. What is the cause, and more importantly, what may be the consequences of that?

MP Few cities can match Istanbul’s unique cultural heritage. In many places around the world, especially in Europe, even the smallest historic site is protected, restored and transformed into an urban centre of attraction. We must take a similar approach to the vast heritage of this city. We cannot stress enough that all stakeholders should act with this awareness and collectively help to protect our heritage. Cultural and industrial heritage means more when it remains a part of daily life in the city. Another point of concern is the aesthetics of these structures. In recent years, we have been receiving a growing number of complaints from our citizens concerning illegal and unplanned restoration/renovation work taking place in the public and private areas of their neighbourhoods. Istanbul is defined by its history and the city’s cultural layers are closely knit. We should go beyond simple plasterwork on buildings for instance and focus on preserving these layers holistically. Bad refurbishments on listed buildings never add value, in fact, they can cause irreversible damage. Our city is unique and we must do everything possible to keep it that way. Sites of cultural significance offer an experience and inspire people. Creative professionals from fields such as art, culture, fashion, design, architecture, interior design, literature and music find inspiration in these locations. Ruining our heritage will make our city bland and uninspiring. For the city’s inhabitants to be disconnected from their past is probably one of the greatest disasters that can happen to Istanbul.

[1] IMM Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat.

[2] Still bearing its original Belgian cast steel columns, the Feshane Building will host important cultural and art events when it is completed.

P I know that the permits required for the restoration of historical buildings in Istanbul are costly and take a long time to be issued. Do you think improving efficiency and reducing costs could be enough to encourage people to complete these restorations by the book?

MP Restoration permits and project design processes are not easy. They take a long time to process and cost considerable sums. This is a setback for many citizens keen to complete their projects without becoming mired in bureaucracy. But this is not just about cutting corners. Some citizens treat historical buildings like modern apartments, either ignoring or disregarding their cultural and historical significance. Raising awareness must be our priority. We must make people understand that even the smallest detail in those buildings bears traces of our past; things must be placed and preserved in the right context.

P As IMM Heritage you work on a variety of structures, from historical fountains to multistory buildings. What are the prioritization criteria you consider when determining which structures need and merit protection?

MP I would like to stress that there is no discrimination in our conservation schemes. We consider every culture and every community that has been in this city and left a mark on our heritage. Historical and cultural significance is an important criterion in conservation. Another point we consider is what the alternative is if we don’t go through with the conservation. What can we do if the building to be conserved is private property? These are a few of the challenges we are addressing.

P What is the general restoration principle of IMM Heritage? Would you describe it as “restoring a building to be reused for contemporary purposes” or strictly as “preserving a building’s original features and functions”?

MP Revealing the original features of a building is one of our main objectives. Take the Botter Apartment as an example. Located on Istiklal Avenue, this was the first Art Nouveau apartment in Istanbul and it is also where Istanbul’s first European-style fashion house opened its doors. We will prepare the ground floor of Botter as a design centre and open it in 2023 under the auspices of Istanbul’s UNESCO City of Design. Other projects along Istiklal Avenue include Metrohan in Tünel, Muammer Karaca Theatre and Beyoğlu Cinema. We will complete the restoration of these buildings in the near future and incorporate them into the cultural and intellectual life of Istiklal Avenue as inclusive, democratic and free spaces. We also focus on revealing original features in industrial heritage sites. Take

the Feshane building on the shore of the Golden Horn, for example. This is a very exciting restoration project for us. It is a huge space with great aesthetics, featuring red brick walls supported by original 150-year-old Belgian cast steel columns. Like the Arsenale area that hosts the Venice Biennale, it will host very important art and cultural events when it opens in 2023. It might not be operating as a factory anymore but we will preserve the emphasis on the industrial past of the location. It will become an international art space. The past functions of a place provide a point of reference and give us inspiration. The Golden Horn area, in particular, is in a phase of post-industrial transformation. We aim to open this place to the public while preserving the remains and emphasising its significance as a historic port.

P The buildings you restore are often repurposed as centres for arts and culture. Are the other buildings planned to serve similar functions?

MP Actually, we now prefer to describe each project, more broadly, as an inclusive, democratic and free space that will welcome everyone rather than confining ourselves to each being only a centre for the arts and culture. We want to make sure that these restored spaces become part of daily life; art and cultural events will serve to make them more attractive and improve the quality of life. We have traveled to many countries to observe cities undergoing such transformations. The restoration of Oslo’s port area, including the Opera House, the Deichman Library, the Munch Museum and the Norwegian National Museum, is one of our favorite projects. Another example is London’s Southbank. This

axis, which includes the Southbank Centre, the National Theatre, and the Tate Modern, is a very successful example of what we want to achieve. Berlin is also an important example in terms of balancing public and private initiatives and seeing how the city centre can effectively support both daily life and tourism.

P Which onsite experts are working on projects for IMM Heritage?

MP We have a great team of experts specialising in different subjects and do amazing work when they come together. Our team includes restoration experts, architects, art historians, museum professionals and archaeologists. However, there is something more than expertise at play here. All team members are people who truly love Istanbul and strive to protect and preserve this magnificent city. Good results are inevitable when passion and expertise collaborate.

P Which projects can we expect to be completed in 2023?

MP We have recently completed work in the Basilica Cistern, the Historical Land Fortifications (Land Fortification Visitor Centre Mevlanakapı and Silivrikapı), Historical Cendere Pumping Station (Cendere Art Museum), Moda Pier and the Fener Stone Houses (Haliç Art). Next year, we plan to complete the projects in Feshane, Muammer Karaca Theatre, Haldun Taner Theatre, St. Pierre Han, the Anadolu Hisarı, the Boukoleon Palace, the Botter Apartment, Rumeli Hisarı, Tünel Metrohan, Beyoğlu Cinema and Yedikule Gas Works.

@ibbmiras

“I WOULD LIKE TO STRESS THAT THERE IS NO DISCRIMINATION IN OUR CONSERVATION SCHEMES. WE CONSIDER EVERY CULTURE AND EVERY COMMUNITY THAT HAS BEEN IN THIS CITY AND LEFT A MARK ON OUR HERITAGE. HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE IS AN IMPORTANT CRITERION IN CONSERVATION. ANOTHER POINT WE CONSIDER IS WHAT THE ALTERNATIVE IS IF WE DON’T GO THROUGH WITH THE CONSERVATION. WHAT CAN WE DO IF THE BUILDING TO BE CONSERVED IS PRIVATE PROPERTY? THESE ARE A FEW OF THE CHALLENGES WE ARE ADDRESSING.“

[3] Yedikule Gas Works is another project that will be completed next year.

[4] The Basilica Cistern is the largest in the city. The structure was reinforced for earthquakes and modern museum principles informed its refurbishment.

“My home is a bit of an ever-changing experiment,” says Enis Karavil, the co-founder and creative director of Sanayi313. “I don’t want anything to dictate the atmosphere of the house.” With white washed walls and floors, the space feels airy and fluid, while the floor-to-ceiling windows flood the house with spectacular views over the Bosphorus and natural light. Karavil’s home is a blank canvas, providing him the perfect base to play around with details and compositions and seamlessly blend both worlds of modern simplicity and old-world charm.

Photography VOLGA YILDIZ

LIVING IN A WHITE BOX

[2] The perfect blend of industrial with refined sophistication. The custom-designed stainless steel kitchen is given character with art and antique finds. The antique candlesticks on the shelf were bought at a flea market. The lucite and wicker serving tray is a vintage Christian Dior Home collection piece. The framed pencil artwork is by Peter William Ibbetson

[3] The house is a treasure trove of books and unique objects d’art.

[1] In the master bedroom, a Fledermaus Chair by Josef Hoffmann upholstered in Dedar’s ‘Tiger Mountain’ fabric and two vintage gilded footstools, finds from a flea market, sit across from the bed.

[4] Overlooking directly on the Bosphorus, the living room has been carefully laid out to take full advantage of the sweeping views. The floor-to-ceiling windows slide open into the wall to merge indoors with the outdoors, creating a sense of openness.

[5] In the living room, an antique gilded armchair is placed in front of the bookcase next to a Serge Mouille floor lamp.

[6] A vintage French dining table made of oak and Sanayi313’s 10313 Box Stools customized in white make up the dining area. The anonymous portait of a lady placed in an antique gilded frame was bought at an auction house.

On London’s Conduit Street in the iconic Mayfair district is a pop-up store designed by Enis Karavil of Sanayi313 for the independent Turkish fashion brand, Siedrés. Reflecting the brand’s ethos of creativity, individuality, and authenticity, the store offers an immersive shopping experience for Siedrés devotees.

Photography ALEX UPTON

A

MEDITERRANEAN SUNSET

[1] The store’s layout features a traditional yet contemporary style, where draping fabrics and furniture with a Mediterranean touch create an inviting atmosphere.

Illustrations EFNAN SARIAHMETOĞLU

Committed to creating contemporary designs with a Mediterranean twist, Siedrés is an independent Turkish fashion brand with a growing international fanbase. Recently, the brand has opened a pop-up store in London, their first brick-and-mortar location, settling into a vacant retail space on 4 Conduit Street in the heart of Mayfair.

Conceived by Enis Karavil co-founder and creative director of Sanayi 313, the store’s layout features a traditional yet contemporary style, where draping fabrics and furniture with a Mediterranean touch create an inviting atmosphere.

The temporary store stocks the brand’s men’s and women’s collections in a paradisical setting that doesn’t overpower or distract. Inspired by the Mediterranean that defines the Siedrés spirit, the interior design concept is based on a sunset theme. As people walk through the store, they get the feeling of moving into the sunset.

Starting from the store’s window display, which features a Rhea plinth by London-based artist Eabha Ebrill along with a Hillestak chair by Robin Day , the space is designed like a gallery rather than a fashion store.

Inside the store, almost all vertical surfaces are covered with soft draping natural fabrics. The back wall, also covered with draping fabrics, sees a projection wall displaying the brand’s logo. Here, the LED ceiling lights turn into orange, creating the desired Mediterranean sunset atmosphere.

Across a wall of clothing racks hanged with the brand’s colorful collections is a mirrored wall where a semi-circle console in dark green marble with a faceted base and a leather stool guide visitors into the deeper end of the store.

The main seating area at the back of the store comprises a mix of iconic furniture pieces that include a yellow suede sofa by British designer Ross Lovegrove , a Roman coffee table, a Model C walnut stool by Charles Eames, a C2 chair by Carl Jacobs and an oak chair TMPL Studio.

Behind the spatial concept of the store is Parisbased set designer Rafael Medeiros , whose work ranges from set design to installations, events, fashion shows, and spatial design.

The back wall of the store covered with draping fabrics, sees a projection wall displaying the brand’s logo. Here, the LED ceiling lights turn into orange, creating the desired Mediterranean sunset atmosphere.

HERITAGE

by Elif Uras

Editor SİDNİ KARAVİL Photography CEREN ÇALIŞKAN EKER

With a background in economics and law, Turkish contemporary artist Elif Uras has always been interested in fairness and equality. Uras combines Islamic tradition and contemporary art in ceramics and paintings that focus on the issues of gender and socio-economic structure. We are getting to know her better through the word “heritage”.

Elif Uras (b. 1972, Ankara) attended Brown University and Columbia Law School before earning additional degrees from the School of Visual Arts and Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Now based between New York and Istanbul, she paints and works in ceramic, exploring shifting gender and class structures in a globalised, consumerdriven, neoliberal world.

Her paintings contain narratives and social commentary and resemble giant miniatures infused with a combination of surrealist imagery, expressionist color schemes and arabesque motifs. Uras’ ceramics, crafted in Iznik where the Ottoman Empire long produced its legendary tiles, examine the conflict between modernity and tradition. Her work has been included in the world-class permanent collections of The Victoria & Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Collezione Maramotti, to name just a few. galerist.com.tr

PAPER When was the last time you used/heard/experienced the word “heritage”?

ELİF URAS I use this word when talking about my work, as in “cultural heritage.”

P What inherent emotion do you feel in this word?

EU It makes me feel grateful to belong to a geography that has encompassed countless different civilizations and cultures before us.

P How is this word related to you or your work?

EU A great deal of my inspiration comes from arts and crafts that we have inherited, such as Neolithic sculpture and pottery excavated in Anatolia, Greek vases, Roman mosaics and Seljuk and Ottoman ceramic traditions.

The three words she chooses for our next interviewee are: geography, antiquity, modernity.

“THE WORD HERITAGE MAKES ME FEEL GRATEFUL TO BELONG TO A GEOGRAPHY THAT HAS ENCOMPASSED COUNTLESS DIFFERENT CIVILIZATIONS AND CULTURES BEFORE US.”

The word “heritage” for Elif Uras in drawing

ATATÜRK’S SEASIDE MANSION IN FLORYA

A Ship at Sea

I arrived at the mansion on a blustery morning. Glistening in the rays of the sun, the building greeted me among white, frothy waves beating against the shoreline. She stood there gracefully, rising on the sands of Florya Beach, as if boasting a little about her resilience. Walking along the long road that links the shore to the building, I thought about how the architect Seyfi Arkan designed this place for Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. A wave of excitement came over me. What was Arkan thinking about during the design stage? What was he concerned with as he began the project? Arkan must have considered Atatürk’s ailing health when developing the design, hoping that the mansion and the sea weather would grant him some comfort in his final years. The basic layout of the house features a reception hall and library in the southeast, Atatürk’s suite and the other bedrooms, including that of his adopted daughter Ülkü facing southwest, and the service and administrative buildings in the northwest. The balcony railings and windows make me feel like I am on a cruise ship every time I go there. Surrounded by the sea, the mansion feels particularly captivating. Above all, the simplicity and modesty of the building’s exterior and interior draw one in. So do the furniture and lighting fixtures, the tiles and the soft illumination in Atatürk’s bathroom, which all complement the building perfectly. Each one is a sign of refinement and well-considered choices.

A History

During a visit to Istanbul in 1934, Atatürk was taken to see the Florya neighborhood by city officials. Atatürk was very impressed with what he saw and wanted a presidential summer mansion to be built on the beach fit to host foreign statesmen. A competition was organized, inviting architects to envision the project. The winning proposal was by Seyfi Arkan. Atatürk’s personal doctor Neşet Ömer believed that the sea and sun would benefit his patient, so the construction of Florya began in 1935 and was completed in only 43 days. Atatürk stayed in the mansion during most of June and July the following year. He rested here but he also entertained foreign leaders and hosted political and scientific conferences. In the years to come, subsequent presidents İsmet İnönü, Celal Bayar, Cemal Gürsel, Cevdet Sunay, Fahri Korutürk and Kenan Evren also used the mansion as a summer residence. On 6 September 1988, however, the mansion was given into the care of Turkey’s Directorate of National Palaces, after which it was restored and turned into a museum.

Architect Ertuğ Uçar’ s observations are perhaps the best description of Atatürk Seaside Mansion on a personal level and in the eyes of the public: “I have a few photographs in front of me. They look like they were taken on the same day. Ülkü is lying on the sand, Atatürk is waiting. Ülkü is playing with her shadow, Atatürk is looking at her. Ülkü is seated on a railing while Atatürk holds her hand. The photos feel as if they were taken on the deck of a ship. There is one in which Atatürk is pulling a small boat along the shore, his hair ruffled by the wind. I notice a white silhouette in the background but I cannot tell if it is a ship or a building. It is only when I look more closely that I realize: all of these images were taken at Florya.”

Serkan Ennaç Istanbul, 2023

Architect Serkan Ennaç is the name behind the @turkiyemimarisi Instagram account, where his posts have matured into a unique cultural inventory with a focus on architecture for those who somehow miss the hidden gems around them as they rush to and fro, between home and the office. Ennaç provides a personal account of the Atatürk Seaside Mansion, a landmark building that holds a very special place in the heart of the Turkish nation.

Florya Seaside Mansion is open to visitors daily except for Mondays. Do not put off this trip which will elicit profound feelings of admiration.

Photography SERKAN ENNAÇ

THE NEXT GENERATION OF ASSOCIATIONS:

YUVAM DÜNYA

Editor SİDNİ KARAVİL

Illustration BAŞAK NOTZ @basakillustrates

A social initiative composed of young leaders, activists, volunteers and scientists devoted to explaining the climate crisis and providing solutions, artists and influential communicators who can convey these messages to the general public…

A new kind of association which is pushing the climate agenda, one that I am proud to be a part of… Yuvam Dünya founder Kıvılcım Pınar Kocabıyık tells its story:

YUVAM DÜNYA’S GUIDE TO LIVING A GREENER LIFE:

CONSUMING CONSCIOUSLY

1. Don’t buy more than you need.

2. Know the carbon footprint of every product you buy.

FOR A GREENER GARDEN

1. Increase diversity in the garden. Try wild varieties.

2. Avoid lawns. Plant ground cover that requires less water consumption.

3. Practise the principles of permaculture.

4. Avoid pesticides and synthetic fertilisers.

5. Use autumn leaves as compost.

6. Collect rainwater to water your garden and indoor plants.

7. Collect greywater and use it for irrigation.

FOR A GREENER LIFESTYLE

1. Don’t go shopping unless you need to.

2. Use the stairs instead of the elevator.

3. Plant as many trees as possible.

4. Protect and defend green space.

5. Receive your monthly bills electronically .

6. Spend more time in nature.

8. Be informed about the climate crisis and inform others.

9. Keep track of your carbon footprint.

10. Become a member of, or volunteer for, NGOs working on the climate crisis.

The idea of Yuvam Dünya emerged about four years ago and we have been an association for about three years. We have numerous ongoing projects categorised under four main themes: education, publishing, social transition and the private sector. The target audience for every project is different and can range from children and youngsters to teachers, workers, parents and athletes.

IMPROVING THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM

Following a protocol signed with the Ministry of National Education, the “Climate Change and Environment” course was included in preschool, primary and secondary school curricula across the country.

THE DIGITAL CLIMATE AND CULTURE MAGAZINE

Our weekly digital climate and culture magazine “Dünyahali” (“State of the World”) is developed and published in collaboration with the Boğaziçi University Climate Centre. Also available as a podcast, “Dünyahali” features a broad selection of content on the climate crisis, as well as culture and art by some of the most influential experts in their fields.

YUVAM DÜNYA LIBRARY

Yuvam World Library is an initiative that aims to translate the latest literature on climate issues into the Turkish language. Our second book “The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change” will be published very soon. Our first book “How Bad Are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything” is already available at bookstores. It is a captivating book that brings different perspectives to our carbon footprint. Consider it as a concise encyclopaedia that details how the products and services we use impact the climate. A fantastic children’s book is also coming soon.

TRANSITION TRAINING FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR

We execute important projects on the circular economy and employee culture transition programs in collaboration

with those in the private sector. We want to ensure that corporate transition takes place at all levels, not just at the level of production. The Scientific Advisory Board of Yuvam World organises training programs for companies on the climate crisis, sustainability, tips for going green at home and at the office, and feasible ways of making the green transition at an operational level.

NİL KARAİBRAHİMGİL - “UYAN ANNE, UYAN BABA (WAKE UP, MOM! WAKE UP, DAD!)”

Our social awareness-raising projects focus on social transition. We realise and use the storytelling power of art and sports. “Wake Up, Mom! Wake Up, Dad!” is a song by one of our founding members, singer Nil Karaibrahimgil, that was performed by the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra. Listened to more than 20 million times so far, it represents one of the ways in which we convey a message that is universal.

RAISING AWARENESS AT AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

The climate crisis can be an overwhelming issue to deal with. Many people ask themselves, “Am I supposed to save the world?” Yes, it is our generation that has to carry this responsibility forward. Being informed about this subject as an individual, sharing your knowledge, adopting greener habits, supporting NGOs and volunteering, all make a big difference even at the level of just a single person.

’WE ARE THE LAST GENERATION THAT CAN CHANGE THE FATE OF OUR PLANET’

I hope – for the sake of the world, Turkey, myself and my children – that in 50 years’ time, we will have learned to respect our planet and the rich diversity of life on it. We are the last generation that can change the fate of our planet.. I want to believe that, in the future, our children and grandchildren will regard us as superheroes, members of a generation that tackled the climate crisis and won. If we act now, I believe we can achieve this together.

3. Look after your possessions and use them longer.

4. Distribute unused items to those in need.

5. Choose to use green brands that are produced sustainably.

6. Choose to use products with a long shelf-life.

7. Choose to use domestic and local products.

8. Do not use single-use plastics.

9. Use fabric shopping bags or baskets instead of plastic bags.

10. Minimise your use of paper.

TRAVELLING GREEN

1. Air travel has a large carbon footprint. Travel by land whenever possible.

2. Use carpooling apps to reduce pollution and costs.

3. Drive at the optimum speed to reduce fuel consumption. Drive an electric vehicle, if possible.

4. Ride a bicycle or a scooter instead of driving.

5. Walk short distances and take public transportation for longer distances.

FOR A GREENER HOUSE

1. Don’t overheat your house in the winter. Reducing room temperature by 1 degree Celsius can reduce energy bills by up to 10%.

2. Reduce heat loss. Poor insulation can double your energy bill.

3. Install double-glazed windows.

4. Buy products that are energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

5. Avoid using air conditioners. A fan is significantly more energy-efficient.

6. Don’t leave electronic devices on standby. Switch the power off completely.

7. Iron a batch of clothes rather than turning the iron on to press a single shirt.

8. Keep the water you rinse your fruit/vegetables in to water your plants.

9. Don’t leave the water running while brushing your teeth or shaving.

10. Always use rechargeable, instead of disposable, batteries.

FOR A GREENER KITCHEN

1. Reduce your meat consumption. Eat more vegetables.

2. Eat fruit and vegetables that are locally grown.

3. Learn how to grow your own vegetables in your garden or on your balcony.

4. Buy products from ecological/organic and local farmers.

5. Compost your kitchen waste. Use this nutrient-rich soil to grow your vegetables.

6. Don’t fill your plate with more than you can eat and don’t waste food.

7. Only run the dishwasher when completely full. A dishwasher uses less water than washing by hand.

8. Use biodegradable bags, cooking containers and films.

FOR A GREENER OFFICE

1. Use energy-efficient lighting solutions and switch off lights whenever possible.

2. Use energy-efficient office electronics.

3. Use energy-saving sensors in toilets and common areas.

4. Open doors and windows to cool the interior instead of switching the air conditioner on.

5. Use fuel-efficient company cars or vans, and choose the shortest route to reach your destination.

6. Schedule online meetings rather than travelling to meetings.

7. Separate and recycle office waste. Be aware of your local recycling guidelines to avoid wasteful ’wishcycling’.

8. Avoid printing out electronic documents whenever possible.

PASSAGES

(noun)

1. A covered narrow way, usually lined with shops on either side and often linking two streets. I’ve always loved to stroll through passages. I always feel like I will come across a pleasant surprise.

2. A usually brief portion/excerpt of a written work or speech. Finding inspiration in a passage from a story or a novel is like breathing for me.

I have been excited since the moment I heard about Nuri Kuzucan’s new exhibition “PASAJ” which is open at ARTER from 1 June 2023. The concept triggers so many images in my head that I feel compelled to first look at the dictionary and then Nuri’ s words, blend them all, and create unique passages for this interview. The idea of “passage” , which is essentially a retrospective reflection of Nuri’ s mind, comes to life in a different way on the cover of Sanayi313 PAPER’s fourth issue.

Editor SİDNİ KARAVİL Photography NAZLI ERDEMİREL

“Passage” is a word of French origin that has been in use since the 12th century. Surprise and inspiration are two things that are always inherent in Nuri’s work. I will use this as a stepping stone to move on to Nuri’s “passage”:

“Early on, when ARTER’s head curator and artistic director Emre Baykal and I were discussing the exhibition, he decided to show me the exhibition space. It was very different from your conventional ’white box’ gallery. In fact, it was a unique experience. The two entrances created a momentum that made it impossible to stop. After taking the stairs down and stepping out the other door, I felt I had command of the entire venue. For me, that transient state created a physical sense of ’making a passage’. Meanwhile, the interstitial layout of the venue, which is surrounded by other buildings, gave me a feeling of being in-between. The sum of these feelings and experiences manifested in the work I did after visiting the venue. I am a person who deliberates on transitions in my paintings. I want one painting to give birth to another; for form and colour to evoke a texture in the painting. In this sense - one space leading to the next, one aspect of the work leading to others - my paintings and the gallery were a reflection, and a continuation, of each other..”

We also have exhibition curator Nilüfer Şaşmazer standing serenely in the centre of the high-ceilinged section of this passage:

“When the time came to envision the exhibition space, we collaborated with architect Duygu Doğan to bring the design to life. Nuri had a clear idea from the beginning – he wanted to go a step further than merely hanging the paintings on the wall; instead, he wanted them to be positioned in the space and each one to work in tandem with the space itself. There are two factors at play here: The desire to merge the space and the painting and the desire for each viewer to have a personal experience based entirely on their own subjective perception.

You often find architectural elements in Nuri’s work. As a transition zone with two points of entry/exit, I believe that this space will do a good job of hosting this exhibition, which focuses on transition and transience. I am confident that the lighting design that we have planned for the exhibition will complement the geometry, planes and spaces in the paintings. I think that the venue will spotlight Nuri’s works and augment every piece on exhibit. For someone who likes to look at paintings, it is very exciting to see how the perception of a painting can alter depending on the depth of a space, or how one painting works beside, or in proximity to, another painting.”

TRANSFORMATIONS

Nuri Kuzucan continues:

“Most of the works selected for the ARTER exhibition are new, but it later turned out that everything we planned had some form of visual reference. While discussing the exhibition with Duygu, I came across some paintings that reflected what I had in mind. This allowed me to better explain myself and, more importantly, it allowed us to imagine the kind of atmosphere we wanted to create. In fact, during the design stage, we talked at length about one specific painting, and that painting later became the starting point for the exhibition. The labyrinthine forms in that painting will inform the exhibition area itself or the exhibition area will become a labyrinth-like structure, like the one seen in the painting.” I was also waiting patiently for the day when Nuri and Sanayi313 would find a way to collaborate. Nuri is both a neighbour and an old friend. We met to discuss the cover of Sanayi313 PAPER’s new issue. We also talked about the affinities we shared. As Nuri says:

“In daily life, we sometimes find ourselves somewhere between feeling vulnerable and feeling engaged, depending on the nature of a particular space. Will we hide in our cocoons or will we become part of our surroundings? Spacious places like Sanayi313 motivate people to get involved. You are much more likely to feel comfortable and be yourself in such places. When I come here, I feel like I have opened a passage to myself. ”

COVER

Nuri conceived a fantastic cover for Sanayi313 PAPER. It is between existence and non-existence, between black and white, containing shadows and reflections; a presence/ absence where the audience/reader meets the work of art rather than the artist. Nuri explains:

“When we started discussing the cover for the new issue, I had this idea of going a step further. I wanted to come up with solutions within my own domain. There was a period during which I was racking my brain about abstract materials, connotations, and how all this could be transferred to the cover. Eventually, I realised the importance of marking what we wanted to highlight. I would be the one making the point, but it would be in an elusive way. A sense of ease came over me once I was able to position myself outside that design. It seemed like a better idea for the audience to perceive or sense the subject rather than giving them something tangible, immediate and literal.”

COVER #02

The issue of disseminating art across society is actually the main idea behind all the passages in this interview and something we will discuss shortly. Nuri shared one of his works with Sanayi313 PAPER. We sincerely hope that everyone receiving our magazine tears off the cover artwork titled “Fasad Series no: 313” and hangs it in a place they love. Nuri signed each copy.

A DISCUSSION ABOUT ART FOR SOCIETY’S SAKE

Like all passages, the doors of art should be open to all. But is that really the case?

Nuri and Nilüfer elaborate on the topic:

NK I want art to be easily accessible for the sake of society. In fact, it has become much more widely available in recent years. The perception of art is certainly not linked to an object. There is no hierarchy between a painting obtained with modest means and a painting bought at an auction for extortionate amounts. But of course, there are artists and artistic disciplines that are symbolic and dominant in the art world. Whether we have access to them is a long-running debate that has lingered for centuries. The fact that people make an effort to access art stems from a wish to have a sense of ownership of the art and its ideas. We all have this feeling inside us no matter how hard we try to contain it.

Overcoming this urge requires us to completely restructure our relationship with art for the sake of transparency. We need motivation to “transform art into the space we call home”. Art is everywhere, in every phase of our lives.

NŞ Art institutions have a major responsibility here. There are some important steps to be taken. Among those are enabling people to access art events for free or at reasonable prices, organising learning programs and workshops, especially for young people and children as part of organised exhibitions, working in coordination with academic institutions, and developing communication strategies that help the general public understand that art spaces are open to everyone.

“WE NEED MOTIVATION TO ’TRANSFORM ART INTO THE SPACE WE CALL HOME’. ART IS EVERYWHERE, IN EVERY PHASE OF OUR LIVES.“

Nuri Kuzucan, Sidni Karavil, Nilüfer Şaşmazer

*Nuri Kuzucan curated and organised two exhibitions titled Open Space, respectively in 2020 (Galerist, Istanbul) and 2022 (Imalat-hane, Bursa). In addition to contributing his own work, he also invited other artists to participate in these exhibitions. The aim was to take the works featured in the exhibition as discrete forms and then use them to compose a single pictorial composition. nurikuzucan.com

NK We must identify and eliminate obstacles. This includes addressing all physical and non-physical barriers. We need to create spaces for art where people will feel comfortable, and where they do not hesitate to reach out and establish contact.

NŞ For example, I believe Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s recent initiative is an important step forward. Organising free concerts, exhibitions, and events not only showcases the cultural heritage of the city but also provides new venues capable of hosting these events. Their quality and operations are open to debate, but having them in many places across the city is still very important.

We conclude the interview with sion of Nuri’s “passages”:

“After long years at the Academy of Fine Arts, studying interior spaces, Nuri shifted his creative focus first to buildings, then to streets, and then to the city as a whole. His horizontal perspective grew into a bird’s-eye view and from there to a much more abstract outlook. Today, I think he has reached a very finely distilled level of production. Nuri has an amazing ability to find this subjective voice. What is more, just like his general attitude to life, his work is not defined by any hierarchy. It is positioned on a plane of equal coexistence. I find it very important that he organ ised the Open Space’ exhibitions*, his idea of collective/collabo rative work, and the relations he established with the works of his contemporaries as well as those of his predecessors. I think that the door to his life and his production process is open to everyone. I hope the cover for the magazine and this interview will introduce him to a wider audience and become an opportunity for people to walk through that door.”

As we mourn the loss of tens of thousands of precious lives, we promise to work relentlessly toward helping to heal our shared wounds.

Adana,

Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Şanlıurfa Türkiye, 02.2023