Vulture Magazine The Michaelmas Issue 2013 | Page 29

evident, and arguably that was what made it so
successful. Whilst in Istanbul I took the opportunity to speak to local residents, to discuss the
public feeling surrounding the protests. I was
humbled by the passion and belief that the people I spoke to seemed to have for their cause. A
sense of public duty invigorated the youths of
Istanbul, who felt they simply had to resist oppressive forces to protect not only their public
spaces, but their civil rights too. This was not
opportunistic looting or mindless violence, although the destruction caused remains regrettable in any case. Yet the displays - of art and of
activism - presented Istanbul as a city of integrity in its convictions. Contemporary art has been
reinvigorated with a socio-political purpose
that much of what we see in the Tate Modern or
the Centre Pompidou these days seems to lack.
Beyond the Biennial, the nature of art throughout Istanbul lends itself to a greater global presence. Turkey’s geographical position has allowed
for the profusion of Eastern and Western influences in its artistic production - the mélange
symptomatic of the globalised world in which
we live. In one small private studio I visited, the
use of Chinese ink in sketches was as skilful as
that which we see in traditional scroll painting,
whilst the subject matter attended to - figure
painting, landscapes and consciously abstracted forms – was familiar to an eye well rehearsed
in scrutinising Western aesthetic practices. Ali
Kazma, a video artist who lives and works in
Istanbul, further epitomises the integration of
Turkish artists into a global art sphere, having
represented Turkey at the 55th International
Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale this year.
His piece, Resistance, examines the relationship between the body and its surroundings,
particularly in light of urban transformation
that he has witnessed in his city. Art in ?Q????)???????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????)Q????????????????????????????????%????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q????????????????????)????q????????????????????????????????????t)Q?????????????????????????????????????????)????Q?????????????UL?????5?????????)???????????????????????????????????????????%?????????????????????????????????()??????????????????????????????????]???)Q????????????????????????????????????????????%??????????????????????????????)?????L????????????????????????????1????????????????????%???????????????????)?????Q?????e???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????1???()?????A??????? ??????Q????????????????????)???????????????Q?????????q???????????)?????????????????????Q??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????t?%?????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????e??????????]?????)%??????????????????????%??????????????????????????????????????=???????????)???????Q??????????????????????????)????????T????????????????????????)%??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????? ????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????)???????????%??????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????%??????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????)?????%??????????????????????????)??????????????????????????q??????????t????)??????????????q????????????????????t?)]?????????e?????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????%???????????????????????????????????????????)??????????e????????????????????????????)5?????M????((0