This weekend the spotlight is on one event: Art on a Card. An exhibition and art sale at CIRCUIT in Kadıköy, the event brings together 12 foreign and Turkish artists who have each created a set of five postcards. One set from each artist will be on display until November 15, with a limited number available for purchase on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
Working within the confines of a postcard-sized canvas, the participating Istanbul-based artists were challenged to comment on Istanbul’s past, present and future, and how the development of the city over time relates to its sustainability. The end result is art that is easily accessible and affordable.
The theme hits close to home for the organisers of the event. CIRCUIT, formerly known as Closet Circuit, is an arts and culture space committed to sustainability. Moreover, the team behind CIRCUIT is well acquainted with the consequences of redevelopment in the city. The building that housed them in Çukurcuma was slated for an upgrade, forcing them to move; on the upside, their new digs in Yeldeğirmeni are quite a bit bigger.
Judging by the images being posted to the Facebook event, it’s going to be difficult to decide which sets to purchase. Melanie Mehrer’s postcards centre around the Bosphorus – we are enamoured with the top image, which depicts the Greek myth of how the Bosphorus got its name.
Gabrielle Reeves Oral's postcards set various Istanbul street sellers against a background of traditional Turkish decorative designs.
Katie Nadworny’s photographs, shot with an analogue camera, capture the feelings and emotions of life on Istanbul’s streets.
Çiğdem Menteşoğlu’s postcards explore the relationship between the physical world and an individual’s inner world.
The show also features work by Beyza Boynudelik, Olga Alexopoulou, Betina Hobes, db creative (Doruk Seymen and Boran Gürüney), Didem Erbaş, Judith Jung, Jen Lyons and Julie Upmeyer.
After you've had your fill of Istanbul in postcard format, stop by Baylan Pastanesi, an old school pastry shop in Kadıköy, to fill your belly: the Kup Griye will satisfy a sugar craving of any proportion.
Art on a Card is open from 6:30–9:30pm on Friday, October 28, and 1–6pm on Saturday, October 29. Postcard sets are priced at 30 TL and up, and only cash will be accepted.