Istanbul Now: Where The Contemporary Thrives
Istanbul always defies expectation for me. A city layered in history, myth, and memory, it could easily be overwhelmed by the weight of its own millennia. Yet Istanbul refuses to stand still. Instead, it constantly pushes the narrative forward - through art, food, architecture, and the restless current of conversation flowing between its European and Asian shores. From concept stores in Galata to rooftop cocktails in Pera, here's a look at contemporary Istanbul.
ISTANBUL, TURKIYE - AUGUST 18: A view from Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Turkiye's first museum of modern and contemporary art and designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop as the new building has been opened on May 4, in Istanbul, Turkiye on August 18, 2023. (Photo by Arife Karakum/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The heart of contemporary Istanbul is Istanbul Modern, the city's landmark for art. The museum originally opened in 2004, but in 2023, the collection took up residence in a gorgeous glass box syle building on the water's edge at Galataport. Designed by Renzo Piano, the three level museum is a celebration of sustainability. The shimmering façade is made of 3D-formed aluminum panels that reflect the changing light of the Bosphorus, creating high-efficiency lighting and heating systems, while the panoramic terrace doubles as a water collecting pool which then cools down the museum in the hot months, and it's a great spot to catch the sunset.
İstanbul,Turkey October 25,2024:Istanbul Modern is known as Turkey's first modern and contemporary art museum. I
'The serenity of its terrace is something I always appreciate after work,' says Ümit Mesci, Curatorial Director of Istanbul Modern,
Istanbul Modern's collection shows off the progression of modern and contemporary Turkish art, from early 20th-century masters to today's artist including pieces by Fahrelnissa Zeid, Sarkis, Ayşe Erkmen, Gülsün Karamustafa, Nil Yalter, and İnci Eviner, as well as international artists like Mark Bradford, Alicja Kwade, and Haegue Yang.
ISTANBUL, TURKIYE - AUGUST 18: An interior view of Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Turkiye's first museum of modern and contemporary art and designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop as the new building has been opened on May 4, in Istanbul, Turkiye on August 18, 2023. (Photo by Arife Karakum/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
"Artists today are not just making paintings or sculptures — we are creating new languages for a world that doesn't exist yet,' says Refik Anadol one of Türkiye's most celebrated contemporary artists. Internationally known for pioneering work at the intersection of art, technology, and memory, Anadol returned to Istanbul for his groundbreaking installation Inner Portrait, at the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM). Created in collaboration with Turkish Airlines, Inner Portrait is an immersive 'data sculpture'. Translation? The visual translation of the emotional responses of four first-time travelers to Tokyo, Istanbul, and Petra into an ever-shifting landscapes of data, cascading light and color. AKM is jut the first stop on Inner Portraits global tour.
ISTANBUL, TURKIYE - NOVEMBER 27: Inner Portrait, Refik Anadol Ataturk Cultural Center in Istanbul, Turkiye on November 27, 2024. (Photo by Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The city's contemporary spirit reaches a crescendo each September with Contemporary Istanbul, the city's flagship art fair. Now celebrating its 20th edition, the fair brings together more than 50 galleries from around the world, showcasing a dynamic mix of local and international talent. Bridging Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, Contemporary Istanbul has become a key East-meets-West stop on the global art circuit — perfectly positioned after New York's Armory Show and just before Art Basel Miami Beach. This year's edition takes place September 25-28.
'I try not to get lost in nostalgia,' says Mesci, reflecting on the ever-shifting character of Istanbul. In a city of nearly 20 million, where centuries-old streets collide with constant reinvention, every neighborhood tells a different story and everyone has their own favorite corner.
On the Asian side, Kadıköy and neighboring Moda pulse with creativity, where street murals, vintage shops, and waterfront cafés hum with new ideas. Across the water, Beyoğlu, home to Istanbul Modern and a constellation of galleries and theaters, feels, in Mesci's words, 'the most contemporary face of the city.'
Istanbul Turkey Beyoglu Istiklal shopping street daytime with a crowd of people walking around. Several stores line the street.
Writer and creative consultant Lucy Scovell is drawn to the intimate ateliers and concept stores tucked into Galata's winding streets, the playful cafés of Balat, and the breezy, leafy calm of Bebek, where the Bosphorus shimmers just beyond elegant storefronts.
To slip into the city's creative personality, Scovell suggests a coffee at Minoa Bookstore Café in Pera, where writers and designers spill across tables, or a sunset cocktail at Soho House Istanbul's rooftop, where the Bosphorus glows gold and blue at dusk.
getty
In Istanbul, food is another art form whether it's bakeries, street vendors, restaurants or esnaf lokantası, shopkeeper's restaurants. And frankly, it's timeless. 'Türkiye has a multidimensional 'ordinary' richness, from Balkan to Caucasian to Arabic cuisines,' says Mesci, who prefers lokantası, to any fine dining.
Scovell cuts to the point and lists Smelt & Co. in Balat for its inventive, playful dishes, Yeni Lokanta in Beyoğlu, for Turkish classics with a fresh, elegant twist, and for skyline views and refined dining, Mikla, does not disappoint. I love them all but also find myself queuing for midye dolma (mussels) at every street vendor. Eager to dive deeper? Culinary Backstreets leads tours through Istanbul's edible history.
Anadolu Hisari (Anatolian Castle) in Istanbul, Turkey
In spite of my love for contemporary Istanbul, its boundary-pushing art, and endless reinvention, I can't help but stay in the past. There is nothing quite like Çırağan Palace Kempinski, with its Romanesque grandeur and gilded Ottoman halls. The palace floats along the Bosphorus, and is a reminder that in Istanbul, you can hop off the tram, slip past the crowds, and step back in time.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
New Zealand's Wine Industry Is Changing — Thanks to Māori Winemakers Embracing Indigenous Roots
When you visit New Zealand, you'll likely be greeted with 'Kia ora,' a Māori-language welcome widely adopted by the country's English-speaking population. The Māori were the first people to inhabit Aotearoa, the traditional Māori name for New Zealand, who arrived from Polynesia around 1300. Though European explorers first charted the islands in the mid 1600s, significant European settlement and resulting colonization efforts didn't begin until the early 19th century. A watershed moment came in 1840, when Te Tiriti o Waitangi, known as the Treaty of Waitangi, declared British sovereignty over New Zealand. It was signed by the British Crown and most Māori tribal leaders, although the two cultures interpreted the terms differently. Over the years, the Māori were forced to cede land and leadership to the British. Relations improved with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 which called for reparations to be paid to the Māori people as well as the formation of the Waitangi Tribunal, a commission dedicated to investigating Māori claims and inquiries. Related: This Country Is So Small, It's Been Left Off World Maps — But the Food Can't Be Ignored Like other nations with a history of mistreatment of peoples, New Zealand grapples with its past, but the country's wine industry is keen to honor its Indigenous culture. As an agricultural sector, wine makers feel a unique connection to the Māori people, who were hunters and fishers, and later farmers. Respect and reliance on the land are paramount to both groups and the wine industry identifies this common bond. 'There's a term that loosely relates to terroir: tūrangawaewae, or 'the place where you stand,'' says winemaker Jeff Sinnott. However, the New Zealand wine industry is relatively new, and concerns about 'culture washing' abound. What's the best way forward? There aren't specific statistics on the number of Māori people in the wine industry. According to the Bureau of Economic Research in New Zealand, there are nearly 24,000 Māori-owned businesses in the country. From 2018 to 2023, Māori self-employment increased by 49%, and Māori employers grew by 31%. These statistics suggest opportunity for continued economic growth, and Sinnott thinks the wine industry is one possible avenue. Sinnott started in the wine industry in the mid-1980s, and now works as a consultant. He's one of the five founding members of the TUKU Collective, an organization of Māori winemakers officially launched in 2018 to support and promote Māori producers. Alcohol, in general, didn't have a role in traditional Māori life. 'We got our buzz from our gods,' says Sinnott. When settlers came, Sinnott says that inebriation became a tool for colonizers to control the Māori people."'If you talk to other Māori winemakers, they're in a business to make money. But they are also in the business of providing employment so that people can improve themselves.""But after the beliefs of the Christian church became widely adopted, wine, the sacramental beverage, held a particular reverence. 'Māori being involved in the wine industry is a modern adaptation,' says Sinnott. While connection to the land is a cornerstone for both winemakers and Māori, there's also a pragmatic reason to enter the wine industry. 'Producing wine is as much economic as it is cultural because we have a very, very tenuous cultural link to alcohol,' says Sinnott. 'If you talk to other Māori winemakers, they're in a business to make money. But they are also in the business of providing employment so that people can improve themselves. There's an opportunity for communities." Related: Experience New Zealand's South Island via Tiny Seafood Shacks For the wine industry to fully embrace Māori culture, producers must be open to education. 'Generally, I think most people are engaging with Māori culture from an authentic interest and curiosity to understand values and principles of te ao Māori [the Māori worldview],' says Jannine Rickards, owner and winemaker of Huntress Wines in Wairarapa. 'There are, of course, people who take the opportunity to use cultural aspects for commercial gain. The same thing as greenwashing, culture washing is something that the consumer needs to be wary of.' Rickards, along with a small group of other winemakers in the region, created the Te Reo Māori Booklet for Wine Growers in Wairarapa. The goal was to engage with the local iwi (tribe) and further a connection to the region, history, and its people. The booklet provides a history of Aotearoa as conveyed by Māori storytelling. It contains a glossary of winemaking terms and explains both the growing cycle in the Māori language and how to introduce oneself in a mihimihi, a traditional personal introduction where a person shares their name, where their ancestors come from and where they live. Some wineries, such as Ata Rangi and Oraterra, share the booklet with international staff members and customers at the cellar door, or include it with new releases. Rickards says the booklet is just a starting point. In partnership with the local Hau Ariki Marae, a sacred communal gathering space, the Wairarapa Winegrowers committee hosted a hākari (feast) and noho (sleepover) at the cultural center to educate people not originally from Wairapara. 'We have ambitions to grow and further this initial project to encompass more learning that can be shared within the region,' says Rickards. This wave of international interests in New Zealand has again raised questions about respecting Māori culture. 'There are a lot of foreign companies that want to be Māori,' says Haysley MacDonald, founder and owner of te Pā Winery in Marlborough, and a member of the TUKU Collective. 'And so they get a wine brand with a Māori name, whack a label on a bottle, and sell it around the world. That's a tough one when you are Māori,' he says. 'You have a heritage, and you see your names and places being ripped off by many global giants, large supermarkets, and those that don't give it the respect that it deserves.' MacDonald believes Māori language and iconography should be trademarked and protected, much like how sparkling wine can only be labeled as Champagne if it was made in the famed French region. 'Our Māori names are used in vain all over the world,' he says. Such authenticity can only help Māori producers, and perhaps the wine industry itself. 'I'm noticing that all around the globe, the younger generation, especially, are getting more interested in what they're drinking and who's behind it,' says MacDonald. 'I think that's been very good for us as a business. People can relate to all our brand stories, all our iconography, and know that we're real.' Read the original article on Food & Wine
Axios
an hour ago
- Axios
Fans are wearing bald caps to Pitbull shows. Miami rapper thanks his "baldies"
Ladies love him. Everyone wants to be him — bald head and all. Pitbull, the Miami native and club-rap superstar, is embracing a viral trend where fans show up to his concerts wearing bald caps and fake beards to copy his signature look. Why it matters: It's the latest iteration of the concert uniform, as the New York Times describes it, popularized by artists like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and — historically — the late Florida singer Jimmy Buffett. Catch up quick: The social media-fueled phenomenon started after COVID-19 but has gone "to a whole other level" during Pitbull's current European tour, the rapper — real name: Armando Christian Pérez — told BBC News. The globe-trotting Cuban-American artist, nicknamed Mr. Worldwide, has always been a favorite target for fan imitation: His quotable lyrics ("Dale!"), nostalgic party anthems and trademark look have made his brand eternally durable. The latest: Masses of fans showed up to his London concert on Monday in full Pitbull regalia, turning the crowd into a "sea of nude latex," the Times reported. "To wander among the Pitbulls feels like Halloween night, if Halloween had only one costume option and it was Pitbull," Times reporter Callie Holtermann wrote. "I'm pretty sure every party shop in London is sold out of bald caps," a fan told the newspaper. Pitbull, ever the business man, even started selling a " Mr. 305 kit" with a bald cap and bowtie for $19.99. Outside the O2 Arena, fans told the Times that it was "one big inside joke" or "mob mentality" that motivated them to draw on fake mustaches with liquid eyeliner and cut up stockings to make bald caps. It resembled, per the Times, "one of the planet's largest and most haphazardly assembled drag shows." What they're saying: Pitbull told the BBC it's "an honor" and makes him "very happy" to have fans dress as him for his shows. "To be able to motivate and inspire them, and see that they feel that it's deeper than just music, like they're a part of a movement and have a purpose in what we got going on, that to me is priceless." The bottom line:"So to all the baldies, thank you, I appreciate you — and they're the baldies because we soar high like bald eagles."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Major airlines may have been secretly selling your flight data to DHS, report claims
Americans' flight data may have been sold to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without their knowledge, internal CBP documents obtained by 404 Media suggest. A data broker, the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), owned by several of the top airlines in the U.S., including Delta, American Airlines, and United, reportedly gathered the flight records of U.S. travelers and sold access to CBP. Part of the contract was that CBP wasn't allowed to share where the data had originated from, the report says. The data included passengers' names, itineraries, and financial information, according to Wired. CBP is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The agency has stated that it requires the data to support state and local law enforcement in tracking individuals of interest. This comes after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) outlined how it also bought the data. 'The big airlines—through a shady data broker that they own called ARC—are selling the government bulk access to Americans' sensitive information, revealing where they fly and the credit card they used,' Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said in a statement. "ARC has refused to answer oversight questions from Congress, so I have already contacted the major airlines that own ARC—like Delta, American Airlines, and United—to find out why they gave the green light to sell their customers' data to the government." Publicly shared documents show that ARC is owned and operated by at least eight top U.S. airlines. Delta, Southwest, United, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, as well as European airlines Lufthansa and Air France, in addition to Air Canada, all have representatives on the company's board of directors. Over 240 airlines use ARC's services for ticket settlement. The company also connects airlines and travel agencies, locating travel trends with other companies such as Expedia. It also provides fraud prevention, the ARC YouTube channel and website show. The selling of travel information is conducted via the company's Travel Intelligence Program (TIP). The documents obtained by 404 Media via a Freedom of Information Act request state that CBP needed access to the information 'to support federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to identify persons of interest's US domestic air travel ticketing information.' The documents reveal that ARC asked CBP to 'not publicly identify vendor, or its employees, individually or collectively, as the source of the Reports unless the Customer is compelled to do so by a valid court order or subpoena and gives ARC immediate notice of same.' The data delivers 'visibility on a subject's or person of interest's domestic air travel ticketing information as well as tickets acquired through travel agencies in the U.S. and its territories,' the documents state. According to a DHS Privacy Impact Assessment, the data is updated daily and includes more than a billion records over the course of 39 months of travel, both past and future. TIP can be searched using names, credit cards, or airlines. However, the data only includes travel arrangements made using a travel agency accredited by ARC, such as Expedia. 'If the passenger buys a ticket directly from the airline, then the search done by ICE will not show up in an ARC report,' the assessment states. It also says that data is included on both U.S. and non-U.S. persons. The deputy director of the Center for Democracy & Technology's Security and Surveillance Project, Jake Laperruque, told 404 Media that 'While obtaining domestic airline data—like many other transaction and purchase records—generally doesn't require a warrant, they're still supposed to go through a legal process that ensures independent oversight and limits data collection to records that will support an investigation.' 'The government seems intent on using data brokers to buy their way around important guardrails and limits,' he added. A spokesperson for CBP told Wired that the agency 'is committed to protecting individuals' privacy during the execution of its mission to protect the American people, safeguard our borders, and enhance the nation's economic prosperity.' 'CBP follows a robust privacy policy as we protect the homeland through the air, land and maritime environments against illegal entry, illicit activity or other threats to national sovereignty and economic security,' the spokesperson added. ARC earlier told The Lever that TIP 'was established after the September 11 terrorist attacks to provide certain data to law enforcement … for the purpose of national security matters' and criminal probes. The Independent has contacted ARC and CBP for comment.
