Category: Culture/Art

Amargi Feminist Bookshop, Istanbul

Posted by rob on July 3, 2011

In the midst of the antique, boutique, upmarket, trendy European district of İstanbul the narrow streets are filled with bustling cafs and restaurants. The wafts of strong Turkish cafe and sweet shisha smoke fill the air. Amongst this is Amargi a feminist bookshop, cafe and social space run by volunteers. As soon as PEDAL heard of this space it became a central spot in our circuit between AFK social centre, 26A Anarchist cafe and Amargi.

PEDAL bikes in the bookshop

The space is unique in many ways and takes on a brave role of facing contemporary gender, sexuality and feminist issues head on. İt is this raw devoted focus that makes this small beautiful cafe something else.

Originally Amargi was a book shop providing solely info on these issues and has now adapted into a space where this info is not only on paper, but is being looked at and worked through in different forms. The space now runs workshop on gender and confidence, works along side campaigns and campaigners such as Pınar Selek and is a meeting space for discussion.

Information and events

After chatting to some of the people involved in running Amargi the six woman of PEDAL realised this was a vital opportunity as the people involved in these movements in Istanbul were real advocates to inform us on issues in Turkey and to discuss feminism in its wider context.

We decided to meet in the space to open conversation about feminism and gender struggle here in İstanbul and wider Turkey. We also wanted to reflect and discuss internally about the gender dynamics within our travelling collective. We wanted to gain insight from Turkish woman about what might change for us as we travel further East.

From the discussion we learnt alot. Shocking in many ways to hear the extent of domestic abuse women suffer in Turkey and to realise how such dark social problems such as Turkey having a higher murder rate of woman than other suspected countries in the middle east and to realise how our supposed educated perception of these countries and issues is false.

Sitting around the big wooden table our host proclaimed we ought to drink coffee and smoke cigarettes as we delved deeper int the realities of domestic violence, honer killings, religion, gender roles, gender in activism and the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisextual, transgender) movement. Opinions, experiences and advice where shared and discussed. A precious time and space that is too often neglected in our busy lives and well needed for PEDAL after 3 months on the road.

cafe kitchen

Make sure you check Amargi out if visiting Istanbul. Thanks to the brilliant crew at Amargi for giving us the opportunity to have those discussions and never letting these issues fall below the surface.

via Amargi Feminist Bookshop, Istanbul | P.E.D.A.L..

July 4, 2011
In Istanbul, Greek History on Display

In Istanbul, Greek History on Display

By SUSANNE FOWLER

Items from the Sakıp Sabancı Museum show in Istanbul.

In a rare display of cross-cultural cooperation between countries with a history of enmity, a new exhibition in Istanbul features antiquities from Greece, including marble figurines, clay tankards, weapons, cooking utensils, jewelry and ancient idols.

At the Sakip Sabanci Museum in the Emirgan neighborhood, the exhibition ‘‘Across the Cyclades and Western Anatolia During the 3rd Millennium B.C.,’’ runs through Aug. 28.

With about 340 pieces on display, curators said the show represents the first official cooperation between museums from Turkey and Greece, and is the first time that artifacts from museums like the National Archaeological Museum of Athens will be displayed next to Anatolian objects from Turkish museums.

Nazan Olcer, the director of the Sabanci Museum and a curator of the show, said in a statement that “we want this to be an event which will overcome the residual prejudices of past years and be an invitation to share our pride in this past.” The other curator, Nicholas Stampolidis of the Athens Museum of Cycladic Art, said the exhibit offered visitors “the best of what scientific archaeological research has produced in the last hundred years.”

Highlights include a replica of a 45-foot long wooden ship that once plied the Aegean Sea, excavated from the shores of Western Turkey; notably, the original ship was built without glue or nails.

via In Istanbul, Greek History on Display – NYTimes.com.

July 4, 2011
Jon Bon Jovi Undergoes Knee Surgery, Talks Richie Sambora’s Health

Jon Bon Jovi used his band’s brief break from its current overseas tour to undergo knee surgery in Dublin, Ireland, to repair a torn MCL he suffered during a rainy show in Helsinki, Finland, on June 17.

Prior to the surgery, JBJ talked to ‘Extra‘ about the injury. “It was raining; we were outside,” explained the singer. “It was nothing that abrupt … it just sort of gave out and tore. Fortunately, we have a week off. So the doctor claims I’ll be alright for Istanbul eight days later.”

A Twitter post Friday (July 1) from JBJ’s brother Matt Bonjiovi revealed the surgery was a success: “Jon’s knee surgery went great. All is well — it’ll take a lot more than that to slow him down. Next stop Istanbul!”

In that same ‘Extra’ interview, JBJ also talked about the health of Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, who recently returned to the band after a stint in rehab.

“It’s always good to have Richie at my side,” said Jon. “He’s doing great. There’s dark clouds in everybody’s worlds and he came through them. He’s doing well. He’s happy, he’s healthy and he’s focused.”

As mentioned, Bon Jovi’s overseas tour resumes July 8 in Istanbul, Turkey. The trek is scheduled to run through a July 31 gig in Lisbon, Portugal.

via Jon Bon Jovi Undergoes Knee Surgery, Talks Richie Sambora’s Health – Ultimate Classic Rock.

Jim Dyson, Getty Images

July 3, 2011
‘Greek Painters of Istanbul’ to continue at Topkapı Palace

Greek Painters of Istanbul at the Topkapı Palace exhibition has been extended until July 4.

Some 100 selected pieces by Greek painters are being exhibited at Topkapı Palace.

The groundbreaking “Greek Painters of Istanbul at the Topkapı Palace” exhibition, which brings together 100 paintings and icons from Istanbul, has been extended until July 4.

Visitors to the Topkapı Palace Museum will have the chance to see approximately 100 carefully selected portraits, landscapes and still-lifes, as well as a special hall dedicated to icons by various hagiographers, all dating back as far as the early 17th century.

The paintings and icons, some of which were restored especially for the exhibition, come from various collections, including the Topkapı Palace Museum, the Halki Theological School, various Greek Orthodox communities, churches and private collections.

Artists Armenopoulos, Andreades, Olga Andoniades, Thalia Flora-Karavia, İgum (Igoumenides), Economides, Xanthopoulos, Michelidakes, Platonides, Savvides, Scarlatos, Sofroniades, Stavrakes and Vakalopoulos. A series of portraits of sultans commissioned by Sultan Selim III and a monumental composition of the Crucifixion of Christ by court painter Konstantinos Kyzikinos (Kapıdağlı Kostantin) are all on display at the exhibition.

The works of art were rediscovered thanks to the support of the director of the Topkapı Palace Museum, Yusuf Benli, as well as the efforts of Greek Consul General Vasileios Bornovas and curator Mayda Sarris.

The exhibition was organized by the Directorate of the Topkapı Palace Museum and the Consulate General of Greece in Istanbul under the auspices of the Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew.

via ‘Greek Painters of Istanbul’ to continue at Topkapı Palace – Hurriyet Daily News.

July 2, 2011
Herbie Hancock To Premiere Miles Davis Tribute Concert In Istanbul

Turkey’s Istanbul International Jazz Festival has landed a pair of firsts – Paul Simon will make his first appearance in the country when he closes the event next month (Jul11) and Herbie Hancock will debut his Tribute To Miles show.

The three-week event, which kicks off on Thursday (30Jun11), will feature Hancock’s world premiere homage to jazz legend Miles Davis on the 20th anniversary of his death.

Jazz stars Wayne Shorter, Marcus Miller and Sean Jones will join the pianist onstage for the show on 7 July (11), launching a nine-date European tour.

Other highlights of the festival include Natalie Cole, Randy Crawford and Simon, who performed at the Glastonbury festival in England at the weekend (25-26Jun11).

via Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock To Premiere Miles Davis Tribute Concert In Istanbul | Contactmusic.

July 1, 2011
A French interpretation of whirling dervishes by Mina Feingold

An artistic path, a passion for sculpture, a story comprising 20 years has engendered a monumental piece that startles those who see it.

French artist Mina Feingold says she would like to exhibit her sculpture “Derwich” in İstanbul.

French artist Mina Feingold says she would like to exhibit her sculpture “Derwich” in İstanbul.

A gigantic monument depicting a whirling dervish made by a French sculptor gives rise to both questions and admiration among art lovers. And its sculptor now wants to surprise Turkish art lovers as well by displaying her work in Turkey.

For the artist, Mina Feingold, working on such monumental sculptures is a real passion. “Actually I began with working small sculptures,” says Feingold in an interview with Today’s Zaman. “One day my father asked me whether I could make a sculpture for him. And that’s how all it began. This is how I found my personal way of expression.”

Her work, titled “Derwich,” is a first in Feingold’s career. After her first work, “Coiffeur,” which she made in 1990, “Derwich” is the first male figure Feingold has created in 20 years. “When I began making sculptures, I was working in group workshops. The models were all women,” says Feingold. “After I left the workshop, I continued making female figures. I don’t work on abstract themes, I prefer making figurative sculptures. But with ‘Derwich,’ this has changed.”

In “Derwich” — a seven-meter-tall sculpture weighing five tons — of which she made two smaller versions in 2010, Feingold says she wanted to reflect the state of being in a trance. To learn more about the Sufi dervishes more closely, Feingold went to İstanbul and watched performances of the whirling dervishes. “[Their practice] conveys a message of humanity, of love, of the connection with God, the world. [Sufism] is a philosophy that I accept.”

A philosophy to realize

With this latest work, Feingold has reached a point where she embodies this philosophy in her craft. “Actually I have managed to implement this philosophy through ‘Derwich’,” says Feingold. “People don’t usually ask me questions about my philosophy, they just say that the work is fine, that’s all. But for ‘Derwich,’ I have received a lot of questions and indeed this makes me better understand this culture. I think that this philosophy really fits me because I am very interested in the energy of the human being. It’s neither religious nor mystical, but it’s a philosophy on its own.”

What startles people about the sculpture is not only its size, but also its theme. Feingold says people wonder why she chose to make a sculpture of a whirling dervish. “When I go to the Grand Bazaar [in İstanbul], there are dervish [sculptures] in every shop. It’s almost as [symbolic as] the Eiffel Tower. I put myself in the place of [Turkish] people; they must be feeling like [a Parisian who sees] someone [a foreigner] come to Paris with a huge sculpture of the Eiffel Tower. Why would one make a sculpture of something that does not belong to his or her [culture]?”

Feingold answers her own question: “Well, why not? It’s a beautiful piece. And the idea it embodies is universal. People told me I was crazy. But I did what I believed, and I finally finished it. For me, this is a dancer who unites the energy [of the universe] and diffuses it to people, and this is a beautiful balance. My sculpture depicts the dervish in a positive way. I believe that it’s a sculpture of peace.”

Feingold truly believes in the sculpture’s positive energy. “Every morning when I came to my workshop, I saw the sunlight was always on it. So it’s very special for me,” she said.

Her next wish is to display her work in Turkey. “I’d like to hold an exhibition [in İstanbul], but I don’t know when. It’d take 15 days to transport the sculpture to Turkey [from France]. And it can be displayed either in a gallery in Taksim or at Santralİstanbul. I don’t know yet.”

via A French interpretation of whirling dervishes by Mina Feingold.

July 1, 2011