Blog

Art and Urbanization in Istanbul

• Tweet
• Sharebar

• Tweet

Istanbul has gotten bigger and denser city due to its captivating beauty. The influx of people such as tourist and vacationers continue to result in a notable effect of a massive urbanization in the city. Like any other predicament, urbanization has its advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons. Istanbul is witnessing a construction boom that has gladdened those in the real estate sector but many others have been left out in the rush to gentrify the city.

Economically wise, Istanbul’s urbanization may greatly increase its financial income and revenues, more and more people will partake in buying and selling which will generate money. On the other hand, although the goal of new development is to ameliorate the quality of life, urbanization brings hardships to the residents itself and to the city as well. Noticeable problems are the danger of the city’s aesthetic beauty and the residents’ privileges.

Now, this feeling of alienation is providing inspiration to a number of artists seeking to question this urbanization.

One of the artists who strongly question the said urbanization is Tayfun Sertta. Sertta is a contemporary artist, writer and researcher on urbanization. Serttaş is an artist who is well aware of the destruction, heritage and history of Istanbul. Because of this, he usually focuses on urbanization issues in his art works.

In his art work “Notalgia, I left,” Serttaş hangs T-shirts with a clothesline between two different apartments. Because of gentrification, it is forbidden to hang clothing between apartments in Istanbul.

The project was made on Serdar-ı Ekrem Street in Istanbul. He particularly chose this street mainly because it has been experiencing gentrification, but used to welcome migrants. The streets where the clotheslines were hanging outside the windows are the places which have welcomed many migrants.

Serttaş was the last person to hang clothes on the street which reads “I LEFT” on the shirts to symbolize how all the others who used to hang their laundry out to dry had vacated the area.

The pattern of consumption reflects the city’s dynamics. It’s not just the museums, shops, exhibitions but all parts of the city are represented as an object of consumption to people. Including The biennials, large museum projects and festivals are part of the urban transformation period.

Amidst the uncontrollable urbanization in the city, Istanbul’s artists still manage to make this an opportunity to display their artistic skills.

No related posts.