Spring Break: Day 3 in Istanbul - From a Cannon Factory to delicious street food

By Peter Drake (Dean, Academic Affairs)

 

 

Erdal Kara met us at the “Tophane Cannon Factory” to show us the exhibition space that the Academy might have for a future show. It is a remarkable space that was the site of the Ottoman Empire’s cannon production. 

There is one room that was used exclusively to pour iron for thirty-foot cannons. It is now a bookstore with a glass ceiling where the foundry once was. 

The exhibition space is extraordinary with one hundred foot ceilings and more room than we could possibly use.

Next we went on a brief tour of the contemporary gallery world in Istanbul. Now that the Biennial has put the city on the International art world map, galleries have been springing up all over the city. 

There was a vibrant range of video, painting and installation at Galeri NON, PG Gallery and Elipsis. Representational art still holds a primary place in the exhibitions that we saw and the faculty at Mimar Sinan were well represented.

Erdal, Janice and I met Ali Bilge at Istanbul Modern. The name implies that this is a public institution but it is really the collection of a single family. I suppose this isn’t any different from the beginnings of MOMA and its relationship to the Rockefellers. One of the curious things about the art scene in Turkey is that its contemporary iteration is relatively new. “Modern” can refer to anything contemporary or anything that appears to address modernist issues. The Museum is beautifully laid out with ample room for a large, diverse and very good selection of works by artists who were completely new to me. Very exciting!

Erdal had to leave us at this point so we said our goodbyes to our gentle, warm, talented and very informed new friend.

Ali, Janice and I had drinks on the Bosphorus and discussed politics, art and life in general. Ali is a very progressive Turk and he has an incredible grasp of global politics and the role that Turkey plays in the larger art world. 

He challenged us to eat what he referred to as “dirty street food” (usually not a good idea for someone with a sensitive stomach.) Still we took the bait and ate really delicious meat-filled Tantuni and amazingly we are no worse the wear for it. We spent the rest of the evening gallery hopping and enjoying the nightlife in Istanbul. 

This was our last night and it was great to just stroll around on Istiklal Avenue and take in the vibe of this really warm and lively culture.  I personally believe that if we get this residency to happen, whoever goes from the Academy will be very, very lucky.

Check back for future blog posts on the rest of Peter's trip scouting Istanbul for a future artist-in-residence program for Academy students.

Spring Break: Day 2 in Istanbul with Peter Drake

By Peter Drake (Dean, Academic Affairs)

Erdal Kara took us to Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University to meet with the Rector, Yalçin Karayagiz; Faculty Emeritus, Kemal Iskender; Professor, Mahmut Bozkurt and Erdal himself. The first part of our meeting was spent remarking on how similar our two programs were and how unique they are in the larger world of art education. I also spent a fair amount of time being dazzled by Yalçin Karayagiz’s stunning office overlooking the Bosphorus. The entire Mimar Sinan campus is magically situated on the Bosphorus with studios and dining facilities that look out on to Asia. 

Janice & Peter meeting with the Rector

There was an immediate rapport between all of us and I couldn’t have felt more at home if I was on Franklin Street. We discussed future residencies, faculty and student exhibitions and Mimar Sinan’s plans to open a 40 million dollar Museum devoted to its unique collection of Turkish masters. We later found out that Yalçin was meeting with the Prime Minister that afternoon for final approval to begin construction. The design is amazing and will only further burnish Mimar Sinan’s reputation as the most important art academy in Turkey.

 

Janice and I spent the next hour touring painting, printmaking, fresco and stained glass studios. The fresco studio was particularly fascinating as all of the work was being done on the walls with the knowledge that they would all be scraped off the next year.  

This has been the practice for over a hundred years. The student work was stunning with copies of Pontormo and Michelangelo right next to self-directed work. Most students were working on wet lime plaster with pure pigments but some were working with fresco-secco getting a range of values that was really astonishing.

 

I had a lecture scheduled for that afternoon about my own work and an overview of the Academy. I started off the lecture impressively by spilling a bottle of water in my lap. I managed to recuperate quickly and spent the next hour talking about life in the arts and the strengths of the Academy’s approach to art education. Quite a few students came up to me afterwards to inquire about applying to the Academy. Most kept their distance when I asked for more water.

Peter lecturing about the Academy

We went back to the Rector’s office where we were pleasantly surprised to learn that they had prepared a protocol to advance the cooperation between our two institutions. This will require further approval on our part, but it speaks well for the possibility of a residency for four Academy students this summer. I would kill for this myself; there are very few cities in the world that are as warm, welcoming and as magical as Istanbul.

At the end of the day Janice and I met with Ali Bilge and his family to view their two thousand-plus collection of modern and contemporary art. 

They are in the process of cataloging the entire collection for an upcoming public exhibition. This should be amazing as the collection covers everything from Turkish masters like Nurullah Berk and Eren Eyüboglu 
to contemporary Western stalwarts like AR Penck and emerging artists like our own Angela Gram. 

Ali’s father, Muhsin Bilge has been collecting for over forty years and is considered one of the most significant collectors in all of Turkey. 

Ali and his sister grew up tripping over extraordinary paintings and sculptures and this lifelong passion has been handed down to each of them like it was in their DNA.

Check back on future blog posts on the rest of Peter's trip scouting Istanbul for a future artist-in-residence program for Academy students.

Spring Break: Dean Peter Drake Arrives in Istanbul

By Peter Drake (Dean, Academic Affairs)

Janice and I arrived at Istanbul International Airport at 6:00 am. Remarkably, Erdal Kara was there to meet us and drive us into town. Erdal is in charge of international students at Mimar Sinan University and is very invested in facilitating student, faculty and alumni exchange between Mimar Sinan and the Academy.

Ali Karem Bilge talking with Peter

Equally remarkable is the fact that Ali Karem Bilge offered us his apartment for the duration of our visit. Ali and his father have been great supporters of the Academy and many of our students. One of the first things that you notice upon entering his apartment are three great paintings by Angela Gram and four fantastic landscapes by Emily Adams. Ali is crazy nice and he seems to be the norm among Turks of all ages. It should be noted that we wouldn’t have met any of these folks without the efforts of alumna Buket Savci Atature and our very own Wade Schuman who met them all last year while gigging in Turkey.

Briefly, because I’m operating on 48 hours with no sleep, here are some of the highlights of the first day.

Topkapi Palace is amazing. The treasury has so much diamond, ruby and emerald encrusted stuff in it that you can get blasé about emeralds the size of softballs. Seriously, you would think this was all just rhinestone applique. The lines can be daunting, but it’s worth it.

Blue Mosque - ceiling

 

The Blue Mosque was next and it was during afternoon call to prayer. The call itself is so beautiful if you haven’t heard it before, although I was standing near a minaret my first time and nearly jumped out of my skin. The proportions of the Mosque are astounding and the sense of communal spiritual commitment is mesmerizing. The intensity of the patterns and their sheer numbers makes for an almost hallucinogenic experience. It was the highlight of the day for me.

I had been looking forward to seeing Hagia Sophia ever since Janice and I bought a stereopticon slide of it years ago. It was under construction, but it is still such a commanding presence and the sense of its history as both a Christian and Muslim house of worship is almost heartbreaking. Mosaics of Christ and Mary share the stage with quotes from the Koran without missing a beat.

 We also took in the Mosaic Museum which may inspire some interesting ideas for an MTA commission I’m working on.

Basilica Cistern

Finally we went to the Basilica Cistern which is an underground reservoir held up by 360 massive stone columns. Istanbul has always struggled with water supply and  this cistern taps into an aquifer 19 kilometers north of the city. Janice got some of her best photos here. It feels a bit like the Paris catacombs but there are fish swimming in the cistern and it feels like the set of a Bond movie.

Our last accomplishment of the day came when we took the tram home spending all of 6 lire instead of 40 for a cab. It’s nice to be a New Yorker.

  

Check back in future blog posts on the rest of Peter's trip scouting Istanbul for a future artist-in-residence program for Academy students.