A Cultural Revival in Istanbul
East has always met West in this gorgeous, gritty city on the Bosphorus. But never as boisterously and creatively as now. Suzy Hansen watches the sparks fly
One evening last May, around the time when evenings heat up and Turks spend all night outdoors, I went to an art opening at the new Egeran Galeri in Istanbul. Across the water from the gallery, Hagia Sophia, lit up like an aging movie star, gazed warily at this louche, noisy party in Karaköy, the brash ingenue of Istanbul’s neighborhoods. A hundred foreigners and Turks drinking wine in tall glasses had flooded around two DJs in the middle of the street. American conceptual artist Mel Bochner, whose work was on exhibit, sat on a couch bestowing kisses. Inside, his paintings—consisting of clusters of words, such as Blah Blah Blah—hung on white walls that led through huge glass doors and back outside.
More:Istanbul's Revival of Turkish Design, Fashion, Art and Culture: City of Senses : Condé Nast Traveler
