Istanbul on the edge: Art in a warming world

Welcome to Al-Monitor Istanbul.

As June 5, World Environment Day, approaches, we turn our gaze toward the “Anthropocene,” a term that reached its artistic crescendo in Istanbul during the 16th Istanbul Biennial’s 2019 edition, “The Seventh Continent.” Its aftershocks still ripple through this city of over 16 million — on the frontline of global warming — and across Turkey, as artists, curators, chefs and writers give form to botanical nostalgia and ecological anxieties.

This issue guides you through exhibitions where flora and fauna speak back, a homage to Sebastiao Salgado, and two must-see out-of-town exhibitions as people prepare to step out of Istanbul for the upcoming holidays.

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Thanks for reading,

Nazlan

P.S. Have tips on Istanbul’s culture scene? Send them my way at nertan@al-monitor.com.

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1. Leading the week: Humans, nature and the art in between

“In the Woods,” by Fulya Cetin, oil on canvas. (Photo courtesy of Koray Senturk for Yapi Kredi Culture and Arts)

If nature had a memory, what would it remember of us? That question lingers over “Together,” the second edition of Yapi Kredi Gallery’s quietly audacious exhibition series. Curated by Didem Yazici, the show brings together Istanbul-based artists Fulya Cetin and Ilhan Sayin in a subtle conversation. Longtime friends and fellow travelers, Cetin and Sayin both use nature, memory and the human form to probe injustice — from ecological devastation to gender violence. Cetin’s series “Daydreams” imagines forests as refuge and witness. Sayin’s “The Night of the Deer” (named after the poem by Turgut Uyar) explores individual and collective loss with lyrical restraint.

Cetin works in bold colors and feminist allegory. In “In the Woods” (pictured above), a woman lies in ivy, eyes shut, limbs slack — a rare moment of ease. In “Bouquet,” a pristine floral arrangement evokes domestic violence or, in Cetin’s words, “the trace of power where it doesn’t belong.”

Sayin’s tone is gentler and the colors are more subdued, but the impact of the works is no less pointed. “Golden Bird” (pictured below) features a toy bird in ceramic ruins, a soft metaphor for resilience. His portraits of strong and unusual women — of songwriter Aysel Gurel and singers Bjork and Bergen — shimmer with character.

“Nest 2 – Golden Bird” by Ilhan Sayin, soft pastel and colored pencil on paper. (Courtesy of the artist and KAIROS Gallery)

Dates: Through Jan. 4, 2026

Address: Yapi Kredi Kultur Sanat, Istiklal Caddesi No: 161, Beyoglu

2. Word on the street: Beet, not beef

Smoked eggplant, vegan meatballs, roasted pepper & tomato sauce with herbs. (Photo courtesy of Vegan Dukkan)

Vegan Dukkan, a modest shop, has been quietly championing plant-based plates in Cihangir for over 20 years, long before oat milk became popular. Its younger sister, Vegan Restaurant, located next door, has created signature dishes such as the beetroot salad and smoked aubergines under a blanket of vegan meatballs. But the real delight is the young, cheerful team that knows the menu inside out and shares tips without preaching. Cozy, honest, affordable and quietly revolutionary.

Address: Sogancı Sokak No: 8, Cihangir Mahallesi, Beyoglu

3. (Out-of) Istanbul diary

“Staged” curator Billur Tansel in front of Burcak Birgol’s “Roses of Hasbahce.” (Photo by Nazlan Ertan)

• Arkas Sanat Alacati, the new addition to Turkey’s favorite seaside resort, opens the season with “Staged,” a sweeping, multidisciplinary show that tackles our collective denial of the climate crisis. Curated by Billur Tansel, this immersive group exhibition assembles 86 works by 35 artists, channeling the angst of Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialism and the illusion-laden world of Jean Baudrillard, where images often replace reality. It’s a whimsical, almost ironic reckoning that combines aesthetics with hope, nostalgia with futility. Between the installations, the documentary and a research hub, viewers are invited to admire the wide array of works, which range from Danielle Kwaaital’s lifeless birds to Burcak Bingol’s wall of shattered vases.
• At Canakkale’s Troy Museum, artist Vuslat’s exhibition, “Emanet/Troy,” connects Homer’s Iliad with themes of war, memory and cultural inheritance. A former newspaper publisher turned artist, Vuslat’s sculptures include birdlike ceramics and plant forms.
• Back in town, SALT Beyoglu is in full flora-and-fauna mode. At its kitchen space, “Anatolian Plant Legacy” (until Aug. 10) gathers 80 works by 47 botanical illustrators, exploring the genetic and cultural legacy of Anatolia’s native flora. Accompanied by herbarium specimens, rare publications and archival documents, the show is a scholarly tribute to plants as carriers of memory. Meanwhile, “The Lives of Animals” (until Aug. 7) turns the lens on our evolving relationship with animals, from kinship to control.