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The Guide Istanbul

Art and Entertainment in Istanbul

A Grab-bag of Anatolian Dance at Hodjapasha Culture Center
Will Washburn / February 22, 2012
A Grab-bag of Anatolian Dance at Hodjapasha Culture Center Turkish dance is generally encountered by tourists in two forms: whirling dervishes and belly dancing. One doesn’t have to look very far in Sultanahmet to find places to see belly dancing; the dance ritual known as the sema (practiced by devotees Read More »
A Home for Contemporary Art at art ON
Will Washburn / February 17, 2012
A Home for Contemporary Art at art ON In recent years, the neighborhood known as Akaretler has become downtown Beşiktaş’s answer to gallery havens such as Nişantaşı or Beyoğlu. With branches of already-existing galleries like Galerist and C.A.M, as well as Akaretler-specific Read More »
From Konstantiniyye to Istanbul
Will Washburn / January 31, 2012
From Konstantiniyye to Istanbul A panel on the upper floor of the Pera Museum’s new show, From Konstantiniyye to Istanbul: Photographs of the Anatolian Shore of the Bosphorus, contains a quotation from Turkish novelist Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’s 1946 work Beş Şehir (Five Read More »
Istanbul’s “Naive And Sentimental” Galleries
Julide Karahan / December 28, 2011
Istanbul’s “Naive And Sentimental” Galleries Boasting more than 300 galleries, Istanbul is truly a gem for art lovers. Apart from the Maçka– Nişantaşı– Teşvikiye triangle, the Beyoğlu, Tophane, and Akaretler neighborhoods have long been considered top art destinations. Next in Read More »
20 Years of Design in Istanbul
Tevfik Balcıoğlu / December 13, 2011
20 Years of Design in Istanbul In the last 20 years, design has not only been discovered in Istanbul but has also turned into such a big phenomenon that it has reached a threshold, and the term is now at risk of being worn out and overused. How and why this has happened is a long Read More »
Zeitgeist at Borusan
Suna Kafadar / October 26, 2011
Zeitgeist at Borusan The red, brick mansion, located at the foot of the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, is quite eye-catching with its unusual exterior and grandeur. Constructed at the beginning of the 20th century, this 10-floor building is widely known as Perili Read More »
Osman Hamdi Bey and the Americans at the Pera Museum
Will Washburn / October 20, 2011
Osman Hamdi Bey and the Americans at the Pera Museum The Pera Museum has long been known for its excellent permanent collection of art dealing with the interaction between the Ottomans and the West. In addition to a permanent exhibit entitled Intersecting Worlds, featuring portraits of Western Read More »
Mesopotamian Dramaturgies Takes Stage in Istanbul
Suna Kafadar / October 19, 2011
Mesopotamian Dramaturgies Takes Stage in Istanbul Kutluğ Ataman is an internationally acclaimed artist whose interest lies in creating “talking portraits” mostly of marginalized individuals, but essentially in capturing how people fictionalize themselves through language. In Read More »
Turkish Passport
Will Washburn / October 19, 2011
Turkish Passport Think of Holocaust films, and the first one that comes to mind is likely Spielberg’s award-winning Schindler’s List, a true story about the historical figure of Oskar Schindler, who saved over a thousand Jews from the death camps by Read More »
Sophie Calle's "Last Time, First Time" at SSM
Will Washburn / October 12, 2011
Sophie Calle's "Last Time, First Time" at SSM The French artist Sophie Calle, whose work often involves journeys into the private worlds of others – even of complete strangers – has now voyaged into an even more inaccessible realm: that of the literally and metaphorically blind. Read More »