If in Washington DC, don’t miss a special performance event this Thursday (March 6) at the Freer Art Gallery. The New York-based new-music ensemble ModernWorks will perform fascinating works by Turkish composers, which have been composed for Turkish as well as Western instruments. The evening will also feature a performance by the modern dancer Nejla Yatkin, founder of the NY2 Dance company (above image), who will perform a new choreography inspired by the famed Turkish photojournalist Ara Güler. An exhibition of Güler’s photographs of archaeological and historical sites in Anatolia is currently on show at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

ModernWorks will perform Turkish-American composer Kamran Ince’s ‘Lines’ (for clarinet and piano) and ‘Asumani’ (for cello and flute), both American premieres. Ince is a seasoned composer known for combining Turkish, Balkan, Byzantium and Ottoman music with the tradition of European art music. This will be followed with the world premiere of the electro-acoustic music composer Tolga Tüzün’s ‘Five Preludes’ (for solo cello). The music of two Iranian composers will fill out the evening: Reza Vali’s ‘Folk Songs’, an unusual ensemble of flute, cello, percussion and crystal glasses, will be performed, as well as the US-based Kazem Davoudian’s solos on traditional instruments such as a santur (a stringed instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board) and a tonbak (a goblet drum), which Davoudian is a master of. 

The evening will begin with a pre-concert reception at 6.15pm, with snacks provided by the Turkish Embassy (pastries, red lentil balls, stuffed grape leaves and baklava). The concert will commence at 7.30pm. Click here to reserve free tickets.

Using bicycles instead of buses or cars to get around the mad metropolis that is Istanbul seems like a wonderful idea for many reasons. If you have ever lived in or visited the city, you will know about the traffic jams that can turn a half-hour journey into a three-hour ordeal. But the lack of an appropriate cycling infrastructure and an unshakeable devotion to car culture have left urban cycling far from the forefront of the city’s transport options.

Set to change all this is the newly formed Cyclists’ Transport Platform (Bisikletli Ulaşım Platformu), an amalgamation of previous initiatives such as the Bisiklet Yoluna Sahip Çık (an advocate group for the rights of cyclists), Bisiklet Dostu Isletmeler (a project to give special offers to cyclists in places like cafés and restaurants), and the Bisikletli Eylem Grubu (Cycling Movement/Action Group).

Formed by volunteers (all of them cyclists), the Platform is totally independent and was founded to promote awareness, to disseminate information regarding the environmental and health benefits of cycling, and to campaign for bicycles to be allowed on the metrobus roads. ‘The Platform wishes to make transport-oriented cycling in Istanbul and in Turkey attainable,' says one of the Platform’s founders, Engin Ertekin. 'Transport-oriented cycling involves travelling short and medium distances in the urban environment and our Platform believes this is possible in Istanbul with the support of all parties, such as local authorities, municipalities, drivers and pedestrians,’ 

To achieve its mission, the Platform aims to attract attention, via meetings and protests, of groups such as the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). ‘The IBB has made promises in recent years of bike lanes on the main streets of Istanbul, like Bağdat Caddesi on the Anatolian side. The Municipality even constructed bike lanes from Göztepe to the Kadıköy metrobus line, but then they cancelled the project within 24 hours. There is one bike lane near Bakırköy on the European side, constructed a couple years ago. But unfortunately there are no control mechanisms in place for this lane, and safe riding is not possible due to the presence of car parks,’ says Ertekin.

Integrating cycling into the transport system is a good idea for a plethora of reasons – money, time, the environment and health are the big four. ‘The demand for oil will decrease, noise pollution will reduce, there will be less harmful emissions and less need for parking lots and spaces – which have enormous environmental and financial impacts,’ says Ertekin. ‘Less cars, more bikes means safety,’ is the Platform’s slogan.

The Platform are using social media (until Facebook and YouTube are potentially blocked by the government) to communicate their activities. They have developed a website giving route maps and useful information for cyclists, and organised cycling events around the main streets of Istanbul. They have also conducted various studies for the Renewable Energy Project, as well as benchmark studies of the infrastructure of bike lanes in European countries where cycling is an integral part of the transport system. A regular event on the Platform’s calendar is a bike ride through a busy part of Istanbul on the third Sunday of each month. The next ride is on March 16, from Göztepe 60.Yıl Park to Caddebostan. Click here for more details.

Photo courtesy of Bisikletli Ulaşım Platformu’s Facebook page

Our hearts go out to the Crimean Tatars. This photograph of a rally in Simferopol comes from a Crimean fashion journalist Adilebkk's blog.

The Crimean Tatars nurse painful memories of 1944, the year Stalin ordered 32,000 troops to expel them from their homeland – on May 18 that year, they were given 30 minutes to collect their belongings; thousands died in the cattle trucks that carried them off to Uzbekistan.

The Tatars have been a beacon of hope in recent years. Some families were eventually able to make their way home after decades of exile, though most of their houses had been occupied and it was only to eke out a living on the edges of towns that once belonged to them. Yet they are bright, energetic, hardworking, educated lot, these Tatars, and quickly became an asset. For starters they made the peninsula a more welcoming place for tourists, the peninsula's main source of income. Some 300,000 Tatars have now established themselves there – though many can only make ends meet with jobs in Istanbul (just an hour's flight away). 

We celebrated the land of the Crimean khans in a special issue of Cornucopia last year. Once more this extraoridinarily resilient people had taken its place in the rich mosaic of ethnicities that Crimea has always been, and it was a moving thing to witness. There was even talk of town names appearing on signposts in the different spoken languages: Russian, Ukrainian and Tatar.

Last week, the Crimean Tatar assembly in Simferopol studiously resolved not to take sides in the present conflict. They issued a statement – ‘The Federation of Crimean Tatars (KTDF) is not Party to the Rivalry between Ukraine and Russia’ – and distanced themselves from Russia's argument with Ukraine, blaming the quarrel on both sides: supporters of the EU and the former pro-Eurasian government, they said, were dragging the country and the region ‘to an abyss’. ‘Strategic rivalry’ in a transit zone through which energy is transported from East to West had made ‘divisions in domestic politics even deeper’.

‘At the start of the 20th century and during the Second World War, the Crimean Tatars acted together with Ukrainian nationalists and suffered the penalties for this political preference. They were exposed to harsh treatment by Russia and endured the great tragedy of exile... During the period of the break-up of the Soviet Union, half of the Crimean Tatar people migrated back to their homeland, the Crimea, at their own expense. But the half who lacked resources remained in exile and were unable to embrace their homeland... From 1991 until 2014 the new Ukrainian Republic established after the Soviet Regime has not given the Crimean Tatars their communal rights, giving the possible reaction of the Russian ethnic population as a pretext.’

For many Crimean Tatars there is a chance of survival as an independent culture within a European Ukraine. Unfortunately, Mars, as the world knows too well, is pulling the other way.

As Adilebkk says in her blog: ‘The situation in Crimea is complex.’ Approximately 15% of the population is Crimean Tatar or of some other non-Slavic ethnicity. ‘Ethnic conflicts that scarcely arose before are now increasing rapidly.’ Pro-Russian followers opposed the supporters of the Maidan protest (mostly Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians). ‘Vigorous statements by certain parliamentarians’ exacerbated matters. In short, she says ‘Crimea is being torn between Ukraine and Russia’, and the Crimean Tatars are in danger.

Confirming this, Natalia Antelava in her New Yorker blog, Who Will Protect the Crimean Tatars?, quotes a senior Tatar journalist as saying: ‘We are on a verge of losing our culture, our language, our identity,’ ‘Like most of the Crimean Tatars I have interviewed,’ she adds, ‘he believes that the community will be safer if the peninsula remains part of Ukraine. “For us, a European Ukraine is the only way of making sure that we survive as people,” he said. “We need European laws to protect our identity. After what happened in 1944, we can never trust the Russians.”’

Antelava also reports terrifying stories of intimidation in the quiet backwater of Bahçesaray, where Catherine the Great preserved the palace of the Crimean khans. Houses have apparently being marked with sinister crosses, just as they were in Stalin’s day. An unsubtle suggestion that they had better back the transfer of Crimea to the Russian Federation, or else. But according to Antelava, they were still determined to boycott the referendum on March 16. ‘Eskandar Baiibov, a deputy in the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, told me firmly that his community is unanimous in its backing for the government in Kiev.’ He is also terrified ‘of the price that they might have to pay for refusing to give the Kremlin the support it wants’. Many want to get wives and children out of Crimea, he says. ‘The men would stay.’

We can only pray that the wind miraculously changes, that boys, for once, will not be boys, and that ‘jaw jaw’ wins over ‘war war’. Though as troop carriers rumble across the achingly beautiful Kerch peninsula, a miniature steppe only a few feet above the Sea of Azov to the north, this seems less and less likely. Whatever the arguments, if violence breaks out, pity poor Crimea. The innocent will be the first to suffer. 

We are back in busy Beşiktaş for our gallery walk this week where some of our favourite galleries begin their spring season with a mix of interesting group and solo shows. Cornucopia subscribers also get free entry to the Naval Museum (featured in Cornucopia No 50) until the end of March upon presentation of their Subscriber Club Card so stop by to view the maritime treasures on offer.

‘Images of the Sensible’ at Kuad Gallery

IMAGES OF THE SENSIBLE

Then, make your way to Akaretler, a two-pronged street of townhouses built at the end of the 19th century to accommodate palace servants, which have been renovated into elegant residencies – in their original neo-classical style – in 2008 (main image). A five-minute walk up the hill (Süleyman Seba Caddesi) will get you to one of Istanbul’s leading galleries, Kuad Gallery. From tomorrow (March 11), Kuad hosts another group exhibition, an on-going trend in the gallery’s programme these days. Images of the Sensible looks at the medium of painting and its place in contemporary art today and features paintings by established and emerging Turkish artists, as well as some international names. Prices from TL10,000 to TL30,000.

Asked to comment on Istanbul’s current art scene, one of the gallery’s founders, Beral Medra, emphasises three aspects: how the artworks are reflecting the new concepts, forms and aesthetics that Turkish artists are exploring (with more female artists coming to the forefront); the lively exhibition scene, which is supported by private museums, art centres, galleries and artist initiatives; and the market itself. ‘The market is now moderate due to the economic situation. All depends on the political activities and the coming local election. After March 30, we will have a clearer picture,’ Medra adds.

Hayal Incedoğan, ‘Escape’, 2014, archival pigment print, 65 x 45 cm

HAYAL INCEDOĞAN’S LILAC WINE

On the lower of the two Akaretler streets, Şair Nedim Caddesi, at No 4, the smaller Art ON is hosting the new solo exhibition of the emerging Turkish artist Hayal Incedoğan. Lilac Wine, which opens this Wednesday (March 12), presents a visual and audio perspective on the ‘emotional change’ that love triggers within us. The exhibition takes its title from the 1950 song composed by James Shelton which has been sung by legendary names such as Jeff Buckley, Nina Simone and Eartha Kitt. Associate Director Erzen Ezen’s favourite work is the ‘Escape’ series (above), in which four abstract photographs depict the reflective surfaces of New York’s skyscrapers. Prices between TL10,000 and TL25,000.

‘Istanbul’s contemporary art scene has become very active in recent years,’ says Ezen. ‘Some of this liveliness is the result of unnecessary hype, however, there are organisations and projects which are taking great steps to bring Istanbul’s contemporary art scene to international standards. We are in a good state as we are constantly learning and improving; we just need more time and more effort to make Istanbul a destination of artistic creation and appreciation.’

Hatice Güleryüz, ‘Biz Siz’, 2010–2011, 
neon, LED sign, 90 cm

HATICE GÜLERYÜZ’S FAST FORWARD

Stay on the same side and past appetising cafés and boutiques, you will find the excellent Rampa’s main exhibition hall at No 20, where Hatice Güleryüz presents her first solo exhibition in Turkey. Working in the whole range of disciplines, Güleryüz’s oeuvre focuses on various themes such as constructed realities, memory and language. Fast Forward aims to be an immersive experience, seeking to overwhelm the viewer and play with the boundaries of perception and understanding.

Ergin Çavuşoğlu, ‘Cinefication II’, 2011, pigment ink on canvas, 35.5 x 27.5 cm

ERGIN ÇAVUŞOĞLU’S ADAPTATION – CINEFICATION

Across the road at No 21, the latest exhibition from the Turkish artist Ergin Çavuşoğlu borrows its concept from ‘cinefication’, a Soviet project which represents the most grandiose scheme of film distribution, exhibition and reception that the world has known to date. In Adaptation – Cinefication, Çavuşoğlu juxtaposes his paintings and video works to retrace the recurring preoccupations of his practice.

Murat Durusoy and Berkay Buğdanoğlu, ‘Walk Of The Giant Turtle’, 2014, mixed media on metal, 190 x 120 cm

MASS HALLUCINATION / ILL EDUCATION

Two doors down, C.A.M. Galeri, which focuses on ‘innovative’ art, hosts the collaborative exhibition of the photographer Murat Durusoy and the painter Berkay Buğdanoğlu, in which Buğdanoğlu manipulates Durusoy’s distorted photographs on metal. ‘Mass Hallucination/Ill Education is a show we are very excited about’, says the gallery’s director, Melek Gencer. ‘Buğdanoğlu and Durusoy are very promising artists and have already accomplished great successes in their careers.’ Gencer’s personal favourite is the large piece, ‘The Walk of the Giant Turtle’ (above). ‘The image was captured on the walk from the Asian side to the European side during the first days of the Gezi protest. Both the image and the motive are really effective,’ adds Gencer. Prices range from TL3,000 to TL20,000.

Gencer says that art in tough times, which Turkey is evidently going through, can be seen as a kind of ‘therapy’. ‘People in Turkey are used to crises so I’m sure collectors, artists and people in the art business will embrace art as a tool to get through these times, and hopefully, new ideas will emerge.’

Gazi Sansoy, ‘Thank God’, 2012, mixed media on canvas, 210 x 170cm

SELECTED WORKS BY GALLERY ARTISTS

Next up are two more galleries located on the outskirts of Beşiktaş leading to Teşvikiye. Follow Şair Nedim Caddesi for a few hundred yards and turn left up the steep Hüsrev Gerede Caddesi, a one-way street coming down the hill. About halfway up, at No 37, Galeri Ilayda is showcasing Selected Works by its roster of artists. The gallery’s director Sebnem Kutal’s favourite works include the above by Gazi Sansoy, as well as works by Baris Cihanoglu, Özcan Uzkur and Elvin Karaaslan. Prices range between TL5,000 and TL35,000.

Kutal hopes that the contemporary art boom is not simply a bubble that will burst. ‘The quality of art has improved and contemporary Turkish art is being exhibited internationally and I am sure it will grow in the future as well,’ she adds.

‘Untitled’, 2013, oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm

DENIZ SAĞDIÇ’S WOMAN: OWNERSHIP

Next door, new kid on the block, RenArt Gallery, is hosting the young Turkish artist Deniz Sağdıç. In Woman: Ownership, Sağdıç explores female issues with her colourful, textured paintings. Prices are TL8,000 for 120 x 120cm, TL6,000 for 100 x 100cm and TL1,500 for 50 x 50cm.

Asked to comment on the contemporary art scene, the gallery’s director, Şeyma Öner says: ‘It is a heady time to be young and talented in Istanbul where it is fashionable for the nouveau rich and the old-guard elite to have art collections. On the other hand, things may be moving too fast without much reflection. The contemporary art scene should proceed on a more intellectual and conceptual level in which artists, curators and audiences all play an interactive role.’

Key: Light Blue – Naval Museum, Blue – Kuad Gallery, Red – Art ON, Green – Rampa, Yellow – C.A.M. Galeri, Purple – Galeri Ilayda, Magenta – RenArt Gallery

Click here for the map link. 

All images, except main image, courtesy of respective galleries. Main image from www.istanbulturkeyapartments.com.

One has to admire Yekta Kara’s staging of The Abduction from the Seraglio at the Ankara State Opera House. I was frankly sceptical about her previous productions, which I found unusual, not to say maverick. This is different. It is, in a word, fantastic.

Elsewhere in the world, all the opera’s characters speak German. In Ankara, each keeps to his or her native tongue, and they all understand each other. A first on stage, and possible only in Turkey.

While Selim Pasha and his servant Osman naturally speak in Turkish, the English slave girl, Blonde, delivers in smooth, fluent English. And Pedrillo, servant to the Spanish nobleman Belmonte, adopts broken Turkish when he needs to make himself understood, but otherwise speaks and sings in German. And so the opera is Turkified in a way no other staging anywhere has ever before attempted.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio (Die Entführung aus dem Serail in its original German, Il Seraglio in Italian, and in Turkish Saraydan Kız Kaçirma) is an absolute gift to Turkish opera lovers.

Belmonte (tenor), his beloved Konstanze (soprano), the servant Pedrillo (tenor), and Pedrillo's girlfriend, Blonde (soprano), are prisoners of Selim Pasha and are being held in the pasha's summer mansion somewhere on the Mediterranean. The pasha's harem guard, Osman, is the villain of the piece. There are lots of beautiful harem girls and guards, everyone is dressed in authentic Ottoman style, and we have a nice, happy ending.

 Pedrillo’s Blondes at the Ankara Opera, Görkem Ezgi Yıldırım, Aslı Sesal and Deniz Boran

This opera was one of the first with a German libretto. Audiences, even those like the author with only elementary German, can easily follow the simple, comic German conversation. Premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna in 1782, it was an immediate success, though Mozart made very little money out of it – just 450 florins – despite the fact that the revenue from the first two performances alone was 1200 florins, and the opera is still making money today.

Sultan Abdülhamid I (1774-89) was on the Ottoman throne at the time, and one wonders if the Ottomans were aware of the opera, and if so, how comfortable they were with its criticism of their administration (though there are positive aspects). However, the first Turkish Embassy in Vienna was only opened in 1916.

When Mozart composed the opera, almost a century had passed since the second siege of Vienna and the city’s narrow escape from Turkish invasion. At the time of the siege, Vienna would have resounded to terrifying Janissary war music coming from beyond their gates. Several generations later, Mozart managed to work this music into his wonderful operatic tunes, using orchestras reinforced with a bass drum, cymbals, triangle and recorder (nowadays replaced with a piccolo).

Today the opera is regularly performed on European stages, and at least eight CD recordings are available, including one starring probably the greatest Konstanze of them all: the soprano Edita Gruberova (Decca, 1985).

Yekta Kara’s staging benefits from wonderful authentic costumes and fine theatrical performances, while the set design is plain, but pleasing and realistic. While Selim Pasha’s performance is powerfully theatrical, Osman’s is rich in Turkish motifs, and in the parts of Konstanze and Blonde, our sopranos compete with each other brilliantly in gorgeous, flawless voices.

Ankara State Opera is to be congratulated for this truly extraordinary new interpretation. Maybe one day it will be staged in Vienna itself, just to show them: ‘This is our opera.’

The Abduction from the Seraglio will be staged in Ankara again on April 2, 12 and 21 and on May 10. Front seats are recommended. Tickets for the Ankara Opera House are available online from the State Opera and Ballet website. It will also be coming to the Istanbul Opera Festival this summer (June 3–17). Not to be missed.

A friend in Crimea – happier in the role of 'makeup and fashion blogger, Crimean Tatar, brow-freak, tan-lover and coffee-addict' – writes: 'The situation here is getting even more serious. All the Ukrainian TV channels have been switched off today in Crimea. We only have ATR now, there is lots of Russian TV but we can't rely on that. Everyone knows how they twist everything in Russia. Also three Euromaydan activists have been kidnapped. It's very hard on an emotional level when you understand that if you express your point of view, you will 100% get beaten. I met a friend of mine today from western Ukraine, where they speak Ukrainian only, and we were forced to speak Russian because otherwise we would be in trouble.'

The BBC's Mark Lowen describes road-blocks springing up 'quickly and quietly across this rugged peninsula'. One such road-block, on the main road from Sevastopol to the capital Simferopol (the equivalent to the M25 in London terms), was manned by, among others, a heavily armed Cossak:

'Beside him stands a man with the Serbian national emblem on his uniform: four Cyrillic "s" letters - the Serbian abbreviation for "Only Unity Saves the Serbs". Having been based in Belgrade, I strike up conversation in Serbian. "Yes, I'm from southern Serbia," he tells me. "I've come to help my Russian Orthodox brothers - we are the same and it's normal that I'm here." He denies being a paramilitary - but it's clear he's a Chetnik, the nationalist Serbs who fought in the Yugoslav wars and now sporadically appear elsewhere as mercenaries.'

The brave little QHA (Crimean News Agency) helpfully directs us to this Vice News report. 'A bunch of Serbian army veterans standing on a check-point in the middle of Crimea checking cars,' Simon Ostrovsky mutters. 'You couldn't make it up'.

Our hearts go out to Berkin Elvan’s family. Since Tuesday, the streets of Istanbul have been filled with people mourning his death: whether peacefully protesting or putting a carnation in water. Berkin’s funeral was yesterday. Thousands of people turned up to pay their respects. Police also joined in with gas canisters. No lesson, it seems, has been learned and there are reports that two people have subsequently died. 

Above is a video paying tribute to Berkin – Aziz Nesin’s words sung wistfully by Grup Yorum. Video courtesy of Yürek Çağrısı.

‘Öyle bir ağlasam,
Öyle bir ağlasam ki çocuklar,
Size hiç gözyaşı kalmasa.

Öyle bir aç kalsam,
Öyle bir aç kalsam ki çocuklar,
Size hiç açlık kalmasa.

Öyle bir ölsem,
Öyle bir ölsem ki çocuklar,
Size hiç ölüm kalmasa.’

(roughly in English)

If I could weep,
If I could weep, children,
Then no tears would be left for you

If I could starve,
If I could starve, children,
Then no hunger would be left for you.

If I could die,
If I could die, children,
Then no death would be left for you.’

Main photo courtesy of Bugün (http://gundem.bugun.com.tr/berkin-elvan-turkiyeyi-ayaga-kaldirdi-haberi/1011104)

One of the most important events in Istanbul to commemorate the anniversary of 600 years of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Poland is the Distant Neighbours, Close Memories exhibition, which opened at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum last Friday. As the museum’s director, Dr Nazan Ölçer put it, ‘The documents, maps, paintings, personal possessions, trade goods, textiles, weapons, armour, costumes and ceramics on display aim to act as reminders of the memories that have been created between the two countries in the past 600 years.’

As is often the case with Sakıp Sabancı Museum’s exhibitions, the show is very comprehensive and features almost 350 items loaned from 34 Polish institutions, including museums, churches, monasteries, castles, libraries, archives and one private collection. There are also items on loan from Turkish cultural institutions. You would need to aside a good few hours to take in all the magnificent works of art and artefacts on display, but you can relax afterwards with a Polish-inspired meal at the museum’s Changa restaurant.

Jan Długosz by an unknown painter, Vienna, 1878–79, colour lithograph, paper, 55.3 x 50cm, National Library, Warsaw

The earliest account of relations between the Ottoman Empire and Poland can be found in the chronicles of Jan Długosz (1415–1480), who recorded that the Polish king Ladislaus Jagiello sent two envoys to Sultan Mehmed I in 1414 and that when they arrived in Edirne, they were warmly welcomed by the Sultan. In 1489 the first official peace treaty was signed, which lasted until the Ottomans invaded Hungary in 1525. The above image shows a painting of Długosz, which is displayed at the beginning of the exhibition. Painted by an unknown artist in Vienna in 1878–79, it depicts Długosz in his many roles: priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier and secretary.

Chasuble, fabric from Istanbul, 16th–17th centuries; embroidery Krakow c 1606, silk thread, satin weave, gold and silver thread on silk core, applique, shaded embroidery, 110 x 67 cm, Lateran Monastery, Krakow

During those 30-odd years, trade between the two countries flourished, particularly in their respective capitals of Bursa and Krakow. Fabrics were the most-traded commodities – woven in Bursa and exported to Poland, where they were fashioned into clothes for aristocrats, as well as church vestments. Carpets and other textiles were regarded as prestigious decorative materials and adorned palaces and churches. The above image shows an example of a chasuble made from sumptuous Istanbul fabrics with embroidery added in Krakow. Ceiling-to-floor glass cabinets feature many other examples of clothes, shoes, cushion covers and rugs.

Tile, Iznik, 17th century, 25.5 x 25.5 cm, Sadberk Hanım Museum

Tiles and ceramics manufactured in Iznik were also widely traded. Above is an example of one such tile from Sadberk Hanım Museum’s substantial collection.

‘Jan III Sobieski on Horseback’, unidentified artist working after the original was lost, c 1704, oil on canvas, 245 x 201 cm, National Museum, Krakow

Apart from some border clashes, Turkey and Poland maintained friendly relations during the 15th and 16th centuries and any disputes were resolved by diplomacy. In the 17th century, however, changing power balances and alliances in Europe, alongside the policy pursued by the Habsburgs in Eastern Europe as well as a series of other events such as struggles for the throne in both countries, the First and Second Battles of Khotyn, the rise of the Köprülü family, all brought the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Poland into confrontation. This culminated in the Second Siege of Vienna in 1683. Above is a majestic painting of King Jan III Sobieski (1629–1696), who ruled Poland from 1674 until his death and played a significant part in the Battles of Khotyn and the Second Siege of Vienna.  

Józef Brandt, ‘Battle of Vienna’, 1873, oil on canvas, 136 x 318 cm, Polish Army Museum, Warsaw

The section with objects relating to the Siege (also called the Battle of Vienna) is the most wonderful part of the exhibition, successfully reconstructing an event that was not only a turning point in the histories of Ottoman Turkey and Poland, but of Europe in general. The above painting by Józef Brandt depicting the Battle of Vienna was painted almost 200 years after the event.

Artefacts relating to the Second Siege of Vienna

Drawings of events leading up to the siege, with weapons, armour and an Ottoman tent adorn a whole room (above image).

Sultan Mehmed IV and King Jan Kazimierz, unidentified engraver, published by Hugo Allards, Amsterdam, 1667, copperplate engraving on laid paper with watermark, 34.5 x 25.3cm, Princes Czartoryski Foundation

The political, cultural and artistic environments in 17th-century Istanbul and Warsaw are also examined. Influences exerted by the Ottoman sultans and their families, stories behind the construction of important buildings (such as Sultan Ahmed I’s mosque, which made an undeniable impact on Istanbul’s skyline), and the political and social environment in Krakow and Warsaw are all highlighted. Above is an equestrian portrait of Sultan Mehmed IV (who ruled from 1648 to 1687) and King Jan Kazimierz, probably commissioned to mark the renewed alliance between the countries.

‘Michał Czaykowski (Sadık Pasha) on a black stallion’ or ‘Portrait of a man in Turkish costume on a black horse’, unknown draughtsman, attributed to Juliusz Kossak, 1852–56 or c1863, watercolour on paper pasted onto cardboard, 23.8 x 23.8 cm, National Museum, Warsaw

The period following the Second Siege of Vienna is also explored. Significant events such as the partitioning of Poland in 1795 by Prussia, Austria and Russia and the Polish battalion led by Sadık Pasha that fought the Ottoman Army during the Crimean War are narrated. The above painting of Sadık Pasha clearly shows the high esteem in which he was held. Born in Ukraine, annexed by the Russian Empire, he spent his life writing on Cossack themes and worked both for the resurrection of Poland and for the re-establishment of a Cossack Ukraine.

Lucyan Wędrychowski, ‘Reception of the Polish ambassador by the Sultan’, Poland, late 19th century, oil on canvas, 85 x 66 cm, Academy of Fine Arts, Krakow

The Ottoman Empire’s refusal to recognise the partitioning of Poland and the Polish ambassador’s posting being reserved in the Ottoman palace are indicators of the relationship that existed between the two countries in the 18th century. Also highlighted are the roles played in palace life by famous Polish artists and musicians invited by Sultan Abdülaziz. The above painting by Lucyan Wędrychowski shows the Sultan receiving the Polish ambassador and is similar in style to other 17th and 18th century court paintings. It particularly resembles the style – more than a century older – of the French-Flemish painter Jean-Baptiste Vanmour.

Sabre with scabbard, Ottoman (Trabzon), early 19th century, steel, silver, beads, gold, filigree, repoussé, length: 82.2 cm, National Museum, Krakow

Trade during the 19th century, a time when Europeans were utterly beguiled by the Orient, is represented by Ottoman fabrics and weapons, taken home by Polish travellers and officials. The above is an example – a well-preserved sabre in a stunning scabbard.

The exhibition is loosely divided into sections, each focusing on a different perspective, though this is not indicated to the visitor in any way. And there are so many objects on display that the exhibition does feel slightly overwhelming. Perhaps the museum would have benefited from pulling back slightly – displaying fewer items and providing more guidance for viewers along the way. Also, the lights are also too dimmed for my liking. Nevertheless, the items and artworks on display are fascinating and provide a wealth of insight into the less well-documented aspects of this long-lasting alliance. 

The anniversary celebrations were inaugurated in Istanbul with an exhibition of the Polish graphic artist Agnieszka Cieślińska at Teşvikiye’s Galeri Işık in January. This week (March 12), an exhibition of 25 Ottoman Turkish documents from the years 1455 to 1792 opened at the Polish Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw. In October the Millî Reasürans Art Gallery will host an exhibition entitled Shock Therapy: Photography of Polish Transformation after 1989, curated by Adam Manzur. Other Istanbul galleries will host Polish artists or feature collaborative projects with Polish institutions throughout the year. Our Arts Diary will have all the details as they arise.

Distant Neighbours, Close Memories is showing until June 15, 2014.

The main image is a 1790 painting by Luigi Mayer showing Governor Piotr Potocki and his embassy entering Pera.

This week we are in Taksim/Cihangir for our gallery walk, where three of our favourite galleries – each pioneering in its own right – are hosting powerful solo/duo shows.

Burhan Kum, ‘The Justice of Superiority’, 2013, oil on canvas, 200 x 200 cm

BURHAN KUM’S RETALIATION

The three galleries we visit are all located on Sıraserviler Caddesi, the street that links Taksim to Cihangir. Past the kebap shops, hotels and nightclubs – a not particularly interesting part of the street – the innovative The Empire Project at No 10, housed in a 19th-century building, is hosting the anticipated solo show of the Turkish artist Burhan Kum. In his detailed ink drawings, Kum critically approaches the socio-political dynamics of the geography we live in. Very timely, topical and strong, Kum is not afraid to astound us with his imagery. The comprehensive Retaliation exhibition includes not only his ink drawings, but also oil paintings and a series of self-portraits.

Burhan Kum, ‘Caique de Sultanate’, 2013, ink and permanent pen on canvas, 160 x 200 cm

Asked to pick his favourite pieces, the gallery’s founder, Kerimcan Güleryüz, chose the two above. Prices range from €3,500–€30,000.

Commenting on Istanbul’s contemporary art scene, Güleryüz says: ‘In terms of the quality that is being produced and exhibited, this really has been a banner season for Turkish art. Almost all the institutions – whether private or corporately funded – have gone out of their way to present great shows. But the general landscape in a commercial context has been sluggish at best. As the art market is a direct reflection of economic stability and prosperity, the developments of the next few weeks are crucial for the future of the scene.’

Banu Cennetoğlu/Yasemin Özcan, ‘What Is It That You Are Worried About?’, 2013, video still

BANU CENNETOĞLU AND YASEMIN ÖZCAN’S WHAT IS IT THAT YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT?

Cross the street and after a few minutes’ walk you will reach the excellent Rodeo at No 49, where the gallery’s owner, Sylvia Kouvali, has curated another ingenious show. In their video collaboration, What Is It That You Are Worried About?, the Turkish artists Banu Cennetoğlu and Yasemin Özcan film the process of a holographic energy scan on an atomic shelter built by the Yugoslav army between 1953 and 1979. Conceptually, the artists employ a non-artistic discipline to measure the energy circulating in a physical space. 

Murat Şahinler, ‘Untitled’, 2009–2014, 40 x 40 cm, oil on canvas unique

Further down, at No 83, the hip Pilot Gallery, housed in a converted 1970s nightclub, is hosting a solo show of the Istanbul-based artist Murat Şahinler. In I have a feeling, Şahinler explores the different stages of adulthood and ageing and the perception of the body in terms of gender and socio-economics. Curated by the Turkish painter Leyla Gediz and the curator Misal Adnan Yıldız, the exhibition explores the artist’s original painting practice.

The gallery’s founder, Azra Tuzunoğlu, says she particularly likes the above painting. Some of the works are for sale and prices range from €3,000 to €15,000.

‘In the recent years, a lot of new gallery spaces, including Pilot, have opened in Istanbul and this has provided great opportunities for young artists as well as for visitors to explore the Turkish art scene,’ says Tuzunoğlu. ‘The variety of the galleries allows artists to find their voice. All the developments mean new groups of visitors and collectors can partake in the rising art scene in Istanbul.’

When you’re done, relax in the famous Cihangir tea garden just across the road (main image).

Key: Blue – The Empire Project, Red – Rodeo, Yellow – Pilot

Click here for the interactive map.

All images, except the main image, courtesy of the respective galleries. Main image courtesy of Istanbul Places Flickr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/69119296@N07/6301975281).

A fascinating exhibition is on display at the Chamber of the Scrutinio in Doge’s Palace in Venice which traces the history of the diplomatic relations between the Republic of Venice and the Safavid Persia under the rule of Shah Abbas the Great (1587–1629). The exhibition specifically highlights the gifts exchanged between the two powers from 1600 until the end of the Shah’s reign.

The exhibition was inspired by Gabriele Caliari’s majestic painting depicting Doge Marino Grimani receiving the Persian ambassadors (above), which is on display in the Four Doors Room. The painting illustrates the friendly and lucrative relationship between the two powers, united by their common objective of fighting the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.

Curated by Elisa Gagliardi Mangilli and Camillo Tonini, the exhibition displays 30 pieces, including the gifts sent by the Shah to the Venetian Republic, as well as letters of presentation, documents, engravings, maps, coins and other objects. The above image shows a sumptuous ceramic cup from Persia from the 17th century (fritware, height 18 cm, diameter 42 cm, on loan from from the Correr Museum Library).

An important example showing the lavishness of the gifts presented by the Shah is the above silk carpet. Measuring at 258 x 181 cm, it is weaved in gold brocade and features detailed floral motifs (on loan from San Marco Museum).

Another example is the above piece, made from velvet and silk brocade and weaved with gold. Measuring at 136 x 136 cm, it depicts the Virgin and Child and is almost certainly the work of specialised Armenian craftsmen working in New Julfa in Isfahan (on loan from the Palazzo Mocenigo). Both of these textiles were presented to Doge Grimani by the Persian envoy on March 5, 1603, in the Sala del Collegio which is right next to the Scrutinio Chamber.

The exhibition also features several engravings which illustrate the protagonists of the time, portrayed in great detail by European artists. The depiction of these figures gives us a glimpse into the customs of the Safavid court and allows us to appreciate details such as the quality of the fabrics used for the clothing and the jewellery fashionable at the time. The above image shows an engraving of Ali Goli Bek Mordar in the book Three models of Venetia by Gioan Carlo Sivos (1595–1615), on loan from the Correr Museum Library collection.

There is also a section dedicated to the cartography of Persia, displaying maps and portolans used by travellers. The quality of these maps reveals the well-developed technical skills of the cartographers at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries. Of particular note is Abraham Ortelius’ Theatrum orbis terrarium, the first ‘modern’ atlas to come in a pocket format. Published by Philip Gale in 1593, it measures at just 7.5 x 10.6 cm and is on loan from the Correr Museum Library. The above image shows a page from the atlas, illustrating Persia.

Also on display are 17th-century documents, including outstanding original firmans signed by the Shah, now kept in the Venice State Archive. There are also examples of detailed requests from the Persians for certain Venetian objects.

For both political and economic reasons, Venice played an active role in diffusing the West’s image of Persia that was characterised by an aura of nobility and prestige. Travellers of that period included Pietro della Valle, who said that the Persian army was made up of knights and gentlemen rather than dangerous, merciless warriors. The above image shows a page from Pietro della Valle’s Travels of Pietro della Valle, from his letters to Paolo Baglioni, 1664, printed publication, on loan from the Correr Museum Library.

Another aspect explored in the exhibition is the Shah’s countless victories in battle, which earned him the title of ‘the Great’. 
His refined taste extended to his weaponry. Of particular interest is the above shield – part of the armour which protects the lower part of the arm. Unfortunately, jewels and turquoise stones fell off the shield and the only testimony left to these decorations is a watercolour painting by the Italian painter Giovanni Grevembroch. The above shows the shield as it looks today. It dates back to the 16th century and is made from Indian cane, silk, etched metal and gold (height 20 cm, diameter 62 cm, on loan from the Palazzo Ducale).

The exhibition is on display until April 27, 2014.

Main image shows Gabriele Caliari’ s ‘The Doge Marino Grimani receiving gifts from the Persian ambassadors in 1603’, oil on canvas, 367 x 527 cm, displayed in the Four Doors Room.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) held an interesting discussion meeting in London last month which is particularly pertinent to the impending local elections in Turkey (to be held next Sunday, March 30). Ziya Meral, a Turkish researcher and writer who is particularly interested in ethno-religious violence, and Dr Mina Toksoz, an Emerging Markets and Country Risk Consultant and an Associate Fellow of the Chatham House International Economics Programme, discussed the events of 2013 and the challenges it has posed for Turkey’s current government. 

Listen to the full discussion below.

... for caricaturists!

Unthinkable, of course, but eventually someone will have to go. Sooner or later.

Will it happen in time to save the Belgrade Forest, the Bosphorus, any last precious corner of poor Istanbul? News came today that all the lovely old 1900s stations, large and small, are to be redeveloped. Will the Anatolian water table recover? What of the Mediterranean coastline, the national parks? Even Antalya's famous Köprülü Kanyon is to be developed. Everything of beauty in the country, from Hasankeyif to Phaselis, faces the slavering jowelly jaws of ignorant sidekicks eager to munch it up.

There must be something vast to hide to go to the trouble of blocking Twitter, and to brave the ensuing mockery of the world (Google DNS has also gone down periodically as well and YouTube will surely be blocked soon), but one should not forget that there is even more to win. Clearly worth the gamble. It begs the more sinister question: what will they stop at to win?

If the seemingly impossible does happen, conservationists, art historians, lovers of nature and many others may sleep more easily. But pity the caricaturist: Turkey would definitely be a poorer place. 

A few innocent delights accessible through Aljazeera (but not Twitter).

.

If darkness was meant to descend on the Turkish ether, it didn't. There are endless ways round the ban on Twitter, as anyone under 35 knows.

For Luddites who are less clued up, Spanish Femen helpfully stepped in with advice on an alternative DNS. Immediately blocked of course, but there are others. Incidentally Turkish Femen is gathering steam. Hats off...

Money doesn’t buy everything, but it can buy you an opera ticket, and when Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto was staged six times as part of Ankara State Opera’s 2013–14 season, I was there to see all six performances. Opera critics in Turkey are expected to be graduates of the conservatory and to be constructive in their criticism. I beg to disagree. As an opera fan, you should say what you feel. And anyway, besides the music, there’s the decor, the costumes, the characters and the staging itself to discuss.

Rigoletto is based on a Victor Hugo play, Le roi s’amuse, written in 1832, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. The Austrian Habsburg censors, then in control of northern-Italian theatres, insisted on the changing of places and names before it could be premiered at La Fenice in Venice in 1851. 

Ankara’s opera house dates back to the 1930s and the early years of the new Republic, and Rigoletto was first staged here in 1950. As a child I remember seeing traditional performances set in the 16th century. The Act 3 aria ‘La dona e mobile’ was sung in Turkish as ‘Women are fickle’. Ankara’s recent production, sung in the original Italian, offers a surtitle with the more appropriate translation: ‘Women are variable’.

A production I saw in Hamburg in 2010, again set in 16th-century Mantua, was performed without intervals over a full two hours. The audience was exhausted by the end, and heaven knows how the singers survived.

In the plot, the womanising Duca di Mantova seduces the daughter of the Conte di Monerone. When Rigoletto (traditionally portrayed as the Duke’s hunch-backed court jester), makes fun of the Conte, Monterone curses him. Rigoletto’s own daughter, Gilda, is then abducted and seduced by the Duke. To exact revenge for his daughter's shame, the jester hires a contract killer – Sparafucile – to kill him. The tragic finale is agonising.

I have listened to the opera on CD at home and at work many, many times and I love the melodies of Verdi’s opera from start to finish. You can see a beautiful clip on YouTube filmed in Mantua itself with Placido Domingo as Rigoletto. Pavarotti’s Duke at the Vienna State Opera was also extravagant, sumptuous, extraordinary. In 1982 London’s ENO chose a New York Mafia setting, while Welsh National Opera adapted it to the Oval Office for their adaptation – though the Kennedy-style Duke was overly flirtatious. The New York Met, in their 2012 production, set the opera in 1960s Las Vegas, with the Duke as a Sinatra figure, the countess as Marilyn Monroe and Rigoletto as a nightclub bartender.

In the recent Ankara staging Rigoletto is neither a hunchback nor a jester. Under Yekta Kara’s direction, we find ourselves in Mafia-controlled Naples in 1924. She peoples the stage with beautiful women, a chorus of 40 or so Mafiosi, and the Duke as their Godfather figure. To be honest the size of the chorus seemed excessive – usually there are no more than 20 – and the volume was so overpowering that those in the front seats must have been deafened.

With different singers taking the leading roles for each of the three performances, I wanted to see them all. The baritone Eralp Kıyıcı, as Rigoletto, sang beautifully as usual, though he gave the impression he was still in 16th-century Mantua, rather than 1924 Naples. Maybe he couldn’t escape the more traditional characterisation he had grown used to in his many previous performances. Çetin Kıranbay’s more modern Rigoletto had a great Al Pacino look.

Three gorgeous sopranos starred as Gilda – Çiğdem Önol, Görkem Ezgi Yıldırım and Esra Çetiner. Çiğdem Önal has a great voice and is very experienced, but I did wonder if she had warmed up properly beforehand. In the first act, her voice seemed weak and we overheard the director’s frantic and angry reaction from her supposedly soundproof cubicle. However, she found her true melodic tone later. The extraordinary Görkem Ezgi Yıldırım is a newcomer, and her youth, physique and soft melodic sound were all very appropriate in the role of the innocent young Gilda. The last soprano, Esra Çetiner, another new talent, was also excellent. Görkem and Esra are still young, and both were superb. We hope to see them soon on the great opera stages of the world.

The role of the Duke was taken by İhsan Ekbar, Şenol Talınlı and Murat Karahan, all tenors with strong, lyrical, manly voices. However, they should avoid physical contact with the girls in order to emphasise their charm and flirtatiousness. Ekbar lost his voice in the last act, but recovered. In my opinion Murat Karahan was the best, with just the right appearance, voice and youthful, flirtatious manners. But singing ‘La dona e mobile’ sitting on a chair, with feet on a table, is not acceptable, for the body cannot produce sound properly and the voice chokes.

In the second and third acts, the engine noise from the platforms interfered with the orchestra’s playing, and that should be avoided. It is also asking a lot of singers in leading roles to climb three floors of scaffolding before launching into an aria. It is simply too tiring.

In the final act we had a new twist to the plot, with Rigoletto commiting suicide. Overcome at the loss of his daughter, he shoots himself – after which the opera house resounds to the final mighty bars from the orchestra. This is new, but is it correct? Who can say. In a traditional staging, I would expect Rigoletto to take his revenge, and then live with his suffering.

In the smaller roles, we had Güzin Yıldız, Meltem Gençtürk and Sinem Mustafaoğlu as the Contessa di Ceprano, with Yetişer Ferda, Oylun Erda, Sebnem Algın in the enticing role of Maddalena. As the assassin Sparafucile, Tuncay Kurtoğlu, Sabri Karabudak and Can Kocaay were exceptionally good. I love opera villains, but it is difficult to pitch that bad-guy role just right. I congratulate each one of them.

The Mafia chorus was strong from start to finish, and the conductors, Rengin Gökmen (first and second nights) and Alessandro Cedrano were extraordinarily accomplished. Ankara’s Rigoletto was a world-class staging and attracted a full house on all three nights, with many audience members standing at the sides.

Rigoletto was repeated on stage at the Aspendos Opera Festival in Antalya on June 15, 2013, also at the Istanbul Opera Festival in July 2013. We hope to see it in Ankara again next season.

For information about opera and ballet in Turkey, visit the State Opera and Ballet (DOB) website. The Istanbul opera festival this year is June 3–17. The programme can be viewed here when it is announced.

We are back in the beating heart of Istanbul’s centre – Beyoğlu – where some exemplary galleries and museums are hosting intriguing group and solo shows spanning the mediums of painting, photography and performance art.

Exhibition view showing (left to right): Ceylan Öztürk, ‘Untitled’, 2014, installation, various sizes; Sevgi Kesmen, ‘Untitled’, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 180 x 140cm; Bahadır Çolak, 2012, marble, 53 x 45 x 29cm, TL12,000

PERCEPTION MACHINE

Start at the Tünel side of Istiklal Caddesi. Down Asmalı Mescid Caddesi, at No 5, ALAN Istanbul is hosting three Turkish artists – Bahadır Çolak, Ceylan Öztürk and Sevgi Kesmen – who explore geometry in Perception Machine. The above and below images show views from the exhibition. Prices range from $US 5,000 to $US 15,000.

Exhibition view showing (left to right): Sevgi Kesmen, ‘Untitled’, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 200 x 140cm; Sevgi Kesmen, ‘Untitled’, 2014, acrylic on canvas, 140 x 100cm; Sevgi Kesmen, ‘Untitled’, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 240 x 160cm

Commenting on Istanbul’s contemporary art scene, the gallery’s Hande Ikbay says: ‘The scene is very dynamic and exciting at the moment. Whilst existing galleries and institutions are getting stronger, there are also new organisations coming onto the scene. Istanbul’s three contemporary art fairs are improving each year. New contemporary art museums are being founded by reputable art collector families. All these factors will ensure Istanbul reaches a higher level in the international contemporary art environment.’

Orhan Cem Çetin, ‘Stop’, 2014

ORHAN CEM ÇETIN’S SILVER PLANET

Further down the street at No 32, Sanatorium is hosting the latest solo show of the veteran Turkish photographer Orhan Cem Çetin. Silver Planet comprises of ‘sentimental’ photography, as according to the gallery’s director, Feza Velicangil. She particularly likes the above and below works – the above because it is a moment captured during the Gezi protests and the below because it reminds Velicangil of her father. Prices range between TL2,500 and TL8,000.

Orhan Cem Çetin, ‘Stinking Seaweeds’, 2014

‘Actually that’s a question I am asking myself,’ begins Velicangil when asked about Istanbul’s contemporary art scene. ‘For sure it is growing, but in baby steps. The number of art viewers is growing but the number of art buyers stays the same. As the government does not support contemporary art, it is up to the galleries, foundations and museums to promote Turkish artists and to make Istanbul the centre for contemporary art. I hope we succeed but it is difficult with so little financial support.’

Oleg Dou, ‘Katya’s Tears’, 2008, C-print under diasec, 120 × 120cm/180 × 180cm, edition of 8+2AP

OLEG DOU’S FACES

On perpendicular Meşrutiyet Caddesi, Galerist, at No 67, is hosting the first solo show in Turkey of the Moscow-based artist Oleg Dou. In Faces, Dou presents his otherworldly, heavily manipulated photographs which aim to critique today’s fashion industry. Dou is a rising star and was very popular on the art fair circuit last year. His work can also be seen at the Trace 14 exhibition, now showing at Maslak’s Project 4L. The gallery’s Müge Çubukçu chooses the above as one of her favourite works. ‘I love the innocence of Dou’s characters. [The character in the above image], Katya, exposes her fragility so openly that it also becomes a show of strength. Embodying such contradictions is what makes these mystical creatures so interesting,’ she says. Each piece is priced around €10,000.

‘Although not as rapidly as in previous years, the contemporary art scene in Istanbul does continue to grow,’ says Çubukçu. ‘It has now become truly global as more and more Turkish artists are now represented by international galleries, and take part in international biennials and auctions. There is also a growing number of collectors who add international artists to their collections and visit fairs all around the world.’

A local man named Dakar sits beneath an olive tree next to a huge mosaic, measuring over 10 x 8 metres, near the House of the Buffet Supper in Daphne (Harbiye). In the centre of the floor, set against a carpet of flowers, is a striding lion – a symbol associated with Persian royalty – with red ribbons tied around its neck. The mosaic dates from the first half of the 5th century and its central panel is now preserved in the Hatay Archaeological Museum; 13 May 1937; Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University

ANTIOCH ON THE ORONTES

Come back onto Istiklal Caddesi and just to the left, the Research Centre for Anatolian Civilisations (RCAC) at No 181 is hosting yet another stimulating exhibition. Antioch on the Orontes comprises historic excavation photographs which tell the story of how, before the Second World War, archaeologists unearthed findings from the most brilliant period in the history of Roman Antioch (modern-day Antakya), one of the most important metropolises of the Roman Empire. RCAC’s Şeyda Çetin particularly likes the above and below photographs which show not only ‘the impressive mosaics found in Antioch, [but also] the dedication of the workers and the locals in the region’.

Two members of the excavation crew use stones and chisels to clean deposits from a mosaic decorated with fish and a riverbank with lotus flowers. The panel, which is now in the Hatay Archaeological Museum, was found at Daphne (Harbiye); 9 May 1936, Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University

Commenting on Istanbul’s arts scene, Çetin says: ‘At the moment, the unstable situation in the country is being reflected in the cultural field as well. People are hesitant to develop new art projects. But this doesn’t mean the momentum has dramatically slowed down – the scene is still very promising. Although the rise has mostly occurred in the field of contemporary art, there are few institutions which dedicate themselves to history, anthropology, archaeology and history of art. The exhibitions that trace history lead to increased awareness for the country’s cultural heritage. I think it is important that the RCAC is filling a gap by offering exhibitions related to the history of Anatolian civilisations in a very central location.’

CHARLES ATLAS’ MC9 AND MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ’S AAA-AAA

Continue down Istiklal Caddesi towards Taksim and at No 136, you will find SALT Beyoğlu, which has a few things of interest. First, there’s the installation MC9, which includes clips from 21 collaborations between filmmaker Charles Atlas and choreographer Merce Cunningham. Then there’s AAA-AAA, a performance piece recorded by the celebrated Serbian performance artist Marina Abramović in the late 1970s.

Charles Atlas, MC9, 2012, SALT Beyoğlu, 2014

Charles Atlas’ work focuses on social movement and group dynamics, a theme the museum wanted to explore in the lead-up to the general elections. ‘Choreography is important to us at this moment and Atlas’ installation is an immersive work allowing visitors to be in the midst of a complex set of movements and sound. It is a new form of installation for us,’ says the museum’s November Paynter.

Marina Abramović, ‘AAA-AAA’ (performance RTB, Liege), 1977, gelatin silver print mounted on alu-dibond, framed in wood on graphite frame, 110 x 150 cm, edition 1/2 A.P, photo: © VBK, Wien, 2011

‘Abramović’s work is also part of a series of works that deal with power struggles, authoritarian control and questions around public space and group dynamics,’ Paynter continues. In Abramović’s performance, the artist and fellow German-born performance artist Ulay kneel in front of each other and engage in a screaming competition. The concept revolves around the relationship between two lovers – starting from an equal position, they try to outdo one other. The work is on loan from the collection of L’internationale (a museum confederation of which SALT is a member and which also includes MUHKA, MACBA, Reina Sofia, VAM and Moderna Galeria Ljubljana).

Most images, except main and last image, courtesy of respective galleries. Main image courtesy of Zug55's Flickr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zug55/). Last image caption given.

Key: Blue – ALAN Istanbul, Red – Sanatorium, Green – Galerist, Yellow – RCAC, Purple – SALT Beyoğlu

Click here to see the interactive map.

Some municipalities simply don't care a damn about the coming local elections. Much over-rated things apparently, especially if you know that everything is nicely stitched up.

So just as the house martins were chirruping their way back to their old Istanbul haunts (a sign that spring has truly arrived), only one day after World Forestry Day, Istanbul's masters have embarked on another orgy of tree-felling. This time along a particularly pretty bit of Marmara coastline, where Atatürk built his beautiful 1920s seaside house (bequeathed to an underserving Grand National Assembly – photography of this historic piece of Turkish heritage is banned).

What you see in these images are the remains of no fewer than 100 150-year-old trees in the vicinity of the old train station at Florya.

A firm call Sur Yapı is only just embarking on a felling that will extend 30 kilomtres along the coast. We understand that in all some 200 mature trees will go.

There was absolutely no warning or consultation before the project began. Local politicians were among those who rushed to the scene to try to halt proceedings. Armed riot police were quickly on hand in to deal with them.

Hoş geldiniz, spring!

This little dance film, produced by the Gezi Park Arts Collective, says it all, with the wit and feeling the Gezi movement does so well.

Everywhere they go has one thing in common. It is ‘earmarked’.

Is there no way of stopping the relentless destruction? ‘Rebel, rebel,’ cries the brief voice over before leaving us to the dancers and their music. The thing is that people in Istanbul do care. Passionately.

Produced for the Kentsel İsyan Projesi, locations include Sulukule (the once historic Land Walls quarter); Fener and Balat (on the Golden Horn, a UNESCO world heritage site: massive redevelopment has already destroyed neighouring Ayvansaray); Gezi Park (Taksim, to be turned into a shopping centre, scene of the massive 2013 protests); the Atatürk Cultural Centre (built in 1969, then the world’s fourth largest arts centre: restoration halted and due to be pulled down); Haydarpaşa Station (closed and for sale); the Kuzguncuk market gardens (700 years old, to be developed); the century-old Beşiktaş boat station (to be sold or leased off); Çamlıca Hill (Istanbul's highest point and hitherto a nature reserve, of importance as a bird migration point: also to be developed and dwarfed by new concrete ‘pastiche’ Ottoman mosque to be erected on top); Istanbul's ‘northern forests’ (destroyed to make way for a third Bosphorus bridge – and more development – and considered the city’s lungs); Terkoz Lake (the city’s chief drinking water source, site of  megolomanic new airport); the Emek Cinema (Istanbul’s oldest and most famous cinema, pulled down to make way for a shopping centre).

The current exhibition at the Research Centre for Anatolian Civilisations (RCAC) – as is often the case with the Centre’s exhibitions – offers a fascinating glimpse into a unique part of Turkey’s history. The exhibition presents excavation photographs which tell the story of how archaeologists unearthed findings from the most brilliant period in the history of Roman Antioch (modern-day Antakya), one of the most important metropolises of the Roman Empire.

Specifically, the exhibition explores the first archaeological excavations carried out by Princeton University between 1932 and 1939. The unearthed mosaics would be shared out between museums in France and the United States as Antakya, then still nominally independent, only joined the Turkish Republic after a plebiscite in 1939.

Curated by Murat Akar of the Archaeology and Art History Department at Koç University, the focus here is on the excavation itself rather than the photographs per se. The black-and-white photographs are enlarged and beautifully mounted, and clearly document the discovery of these magnificent mosaics, now held in the Hatay Archaeology Museum. The main image shows a rare glimpse of the expedition’s photographer Fadeel Nasser Saba, a Palestinian from Nazareth. In the photo, Saba uses a large-format camera to photograph the opulent mosaics in the Constantine villa at Daphne (Harbiye), nine kilometres south of Antioch, while his assistants steady the camera; July 20, 1935.

Quotes from field staff, including the field director William A Campbell from Wellesley College and the art historian and chairman of the Antioch Excavation Committee, Charles Rufus Morey, are peppered throughout the exhibition offering interesting titbits of information. The above image shows the members of the excavation staff with visiting dignitaries of Antioch. First row, left to right: Muhammed Yusuf, Haider Wazan, Rashid Bey Barrakat, Nassib Arzouzi, Richard Stillwell, Khalil Zarawend, Najm ed Din Bey Wajihi Basha, Mahmud Tukhani, Charles Rufus Morey, Zaki Arzouzi, Fadil Ghabousi, and Suleiman Hindie. Second row, left to right: Mustafa Yusuf, Jean Lassus, Adib Ishak, Apostolos Athanassiou, W.H. Noble, Barbari Mahmud Isa, Joseph Numani, William A. Campbell, Ibrahim Agha Tukhani, Suleiman Wazan, Samaan Totah, Ali Agha Tukhani; July 5, 1936.

‘Few people realise that ancient Antioch was larger than Rome within the Aurelian walls,’ said Campbell in 1934, also noting the city’s natural beauty, fine climate, productive soil and strategic location. The above image shows an aerial view of Antioch with the Orontes River (modern-day Asi Nehri), and the mountain range capped by Mount Silpios (Habib Neccar Dağı) in the background. The long main street which runs diagonally across the centre of the photograph follows the route of the ancient Roman road from Latakia (ancient Laodicea) to Aleppo (ancient Beroea); August 17, 1937.

The excavations began on March 7, 1932 with the opening of the trench seen in the above photo. This revealed a part of the system of pipes that distributed water throughout the ancient city. These conduits, constructed of cylindrical terracotta tiles laid end to end, brought water from the aqueduct to a residential area near the Byzantine stadium.

The above image shows the excavation of the Theatre of Dionysus, which was buried beneath more than nine meters of soil which had washed down the slope of Mount Silpios. Workers removed earth from the deep trench by passing baskets to each other. After one side of this deep trench collapsed, the walls were battered and stepped to protect the workmen and staff; April 29, 1936.

The collapsed arch of the Market Gate in the city wall at Seleucia Pieria (Samandağ-Çevlik), located on the coast about 25 kilometres southwest of Antioch, can be seen in the above photo. The fourth-century gate, which was located in the lower town, opened onto a colonnaded street that led to the marketplace of Seleucia; August 10, 1937.

‘These masterpieces of mosaic art were made for the rich villas on the hills of Daphne, where the wealthier class lives for the sake of the springs and the breezes, and the view down the valley towards the sea,’ said Morey in 1936. He had in mind, amongst others, the above mosaic of the dining room of the House of the Buffet Supper. The central roundel, which depicts Ganymede serving wine to Zeus, is surrounded by a delectable multi-course dinner laid out on silver platters. The rectangular panel at the top is decorated with a large wine vessel, two peacocks and other birds; May 22, 1937.

Morey was also referring to the excavations done at Yakto (Camus Ayna), a small village north of Daphne, which brought to light an extensive complex that was built in the third century and modified in the fifth century. The mosaic in this small room depicts a female bust framed by an octagonal perspective meander. A white marble torso of a youth rests in the doorway of the room (now in the Princeton University Museum of Art); April 13, 1933.

The above image shows another marble male torso found during an excavation in the House of the Phoenix, a late Roman villa in Daphne. This finely carved statue (now kept in the Baltimore Museum of Art) was used, along with blocks of stone, to close the opening of a unused well from an earlier structure; October 19, 1934.

In 1936, Campbell said that one of the aims of the expeditions was to preserve the mosaic pavements accidentally discovered by natives. The above image shows a section of a mosaic floor uncovered by a landowner digging a drainage ditch in his mulberry orchard just inside the Roman wall at Seleucia Pieria in August 1938. The large curving mosaic depicted a procession of a variety of exotic animals, including elephants, zebras, giraffes and flamingos in a landscape of exotic plants; October 20, 1938.

The above shows an enormous cruciform church at Kaoussie (Kapısuyu) which was paved with a vast carpet of geometric mosaics. An inscription discovered in one of the four aisles that formed the original structure dates the foundation of the church to March 387 CE; June 14, 1935.

The exhibition is displayed until April 20, 2014.

All photos are from Princeton University’s Department of Art and Archaeology.

We apologise to readers if YouTube links in the Cornucopia blog and events pages lead nowhere. This is due to the widely publicised nationwide blocking of YouTube in Turkey ahead of the March 30 local elections (see the Guardian, and the Financial Times). Waters have been further calmed by a ban on discussion in the Turkish media of the truly shocking March 27 leaks that led to the decision. Though the international media has been restrained in its coverage (compared to the reaction to last week's blocking of Twitter), those willing to ignore the barely credible scandals engulfing the airwaves will find little solace in the Economist. 

We continue our walk in Beyoğlu this week, concentrating on the area around Galatasaray, where some of our favourite galleries are showcasing solo exhibitions of Turkish and international artists. We also stop by at Akabank Sanat for an interesting group exhibition.

Selçuk Artut, ‘Analog Pixels Sculpture’, vibration motors, stainless steel sheet, electronic circuitry, 80 x 80 x 10 cm

SELÇUK ARTUT’S DATA REALITY

Let’s start at the famous building, packed full of galleries, at No 163 İstiklâl Caddesi. On the second floor of the Mısır Apartment building (main image), Galeri Zilberman’s first space is showcasing the works of the Turkish artist Selçuk Artut, an important figure in digital art. Data Reality explores the relationship between technology, identity and art. ‘The exhibition features some experimental video works and four minimalist wall-based acoustic sculptures [above] which I find fascinating,’ says the gallery’s founder, Moiz Zilberman. Artut believes artworks should be accessible, so his pieces are reasonably priced, from TL800 to TL15,000.

Eşref Yıldırım, from the series ‘Salute! Masum – Sergen’, mixed media on fabric, 180 x 120 cm

EŞREF YILDIRIM’S SALUTE

On the third floor, in Galeri Zilberman’s main space, you will find the Turkish artist Eşref Yıldırım’s latest exhibition, Salute! ‘The exhibition resonates well in the current political climate and raises questions about the relevance of political art. I have to say that I am very intrigued by the centrepiece of the show, an installation of double-sided flags of dead soldiers,’ says Zilberman of the above image. Prices are in the TL10,000 range.

‘Istanbul's art scene is becoming more sophisticated and mature,' Zilberman tells me. 'Although art is largely an asset, its intellectual value is equally important. I am also glad to see artists embracing global artistic developments while still addressing local issues and personal concerns.’   

Susan Hefuna, ‘Ma Habeit, 2008, fabric, 110 x 142cm

SUSAN HEFUNA’S BEYOND NOTHING

On the fourth floor, Pi Artworks is hosting a second solo show from the renowned Egyptian-German artist Susan Hefuna. Entitled BeYond NoThing, the exhibition opens this Saturday (April 5). ‘This is the first time that Hefuna’s textile works have been exhibited together in a dedicated show. I love the way she has drawn on various influences, from the Egyptian art of appliqué to designs from Africa to Japan. Her use of English and Arabic script is immediately recognisable and I just love the poetry of her works here, and how each one is unique,’ says the gallery’s founder, Yeşim Turanlı. Prices from €10,000 to €30,000.

‘We have a rich, vibrant arts scene in Istanbul that has always proven itself to be resilient, and I am sure it will continue to do so,’ Turanlı says. 

Selçuk Demirel, ‘Parade No. 33’, 2014, 72 x 57cm

SELÇUK DEMIREL’S NOW

Across the hall, Galeri Nev is opening a show of the work of the veteran Turkish illustrator Selçuk Demirel this Friday (April 4). In Now, Demirel presents his most recent drawings, as well as some older works. A highlight is the ‘Parade’ series (above image) collated in a book entitled Fashion Show ,which was published by Yapı Kredi Publications last year.

Eric Peyret, ‘Dumbo Stop’, 195 x 130cm

ERIC PEYRET’S BORDERLINES

Leave the building and keep heading down İstiklâl Caddesi towards Taksim. Go past the Galatasaray Lycée and turn down the first street on your right. On Turnacıbaşı Caddesi, a narrow street full of interesting art boutiques, vintage shops and the 18th-century Galatasaray Hamamı, at No 21, the tiny Gama Gallery is hosting a solo exhibition from the French artist Eric Peyret. In Borderlines, Peyret explores the lines and borders of a modern cityscape in his realistic urban paintings. 

Bethan Huws, ‘Untitled’ (‘Le ready-made…’), 2008, aluminium, glass, rubber, plastic letters, 100 x 75 x 4.5 cm, courtesy the artist and Galerie Tschudi Zuoz, photograph: Charles Duprat Paris

THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK

Come back onto Istiklal Caddesi and head towards Taksim. On your left-hand side, at No 8, Akbank Sanat is hosting a group exhibition This Page Intentionally Left Blank, the first in a series of exhibitions based on writing. ‘Understanding the act of writing as a broad, culturally embedded gesture, the exhibition covers artistic, literary, and curatorial and editorial fields of action,’ says the director of Akbank Sanat, Derya Bigalı.

‘In the last decade, Istanbul has become a powerful magnet for art professionals and enthusiasts from all around the world. Opportunities provided by art institutions such as artist residencies, cultural exchange programmes and internationally collaborative projects are allowing emerging artists and curators to network locally and internationally,’ says Bigalı.

‘The Akbank Arts Centre does its best to support the development of Turkish art with annual projects, such as the Akbank Contemporary Artists Prize and the Akbank Sanat International Curator Competition. We also publish the bi-monthly Akbank Contemporary Arts Map, an events calendar which shows all the current exhibitions.’

All images, except main image, courtesy of respective galleries. Main image from www.digitalbridges.eu/?p=4461.

Key: Blue – Mısır Apartment (Galeri Zilberman, Pi Artworks, Galeri Nev), Red – Gama, Green – Akbank Sanat 

Click here to see the interactive map. 

Meanwhile, over at the British Consulate in Istanbul, the Crimean Memorial Lectures, a four-part lecture cycle to commemorate the First World War with local British and American historians, are bringing together an eclectic crowd under the chandeliers of Pera House's ballroom, and all for a good cause. The first lecture in February, by Professor Norman Stone, focused on England and the Middle East in the First World War, while the second, by Dr James Alexander (also of Bilkent University), explored TS Eliot and the poetry of war.

The third will be delivered by Dr Sean McMeekin, an American historian who teaches at Koç University, who will discuss the subject of his book 1914: Countdown to War. The final lecture will be on June 23 by Philip Mansel.

All proceeds will be divided between the  Crimean Church (Christ Church)'s refugee hostel and a fund for pensioners in Istanbul who have fallen on hard times.

Tickets are 50TL each (35TL for concessions: over 60s, refugees and students) and are available by emailing crimeanmemoriallectures@gmail.com. All details of the lectures are on the blog.