AL-Monitor Istanbul: Fairy tales for grown-ups at Ruzy Gallery
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“For God’s sake, get out of Istiklal Avenue, it is not the only hip spot in Turkey’s cultural capital,” a friend beseeched last week. So I obliged. This week’s edition takes you to the Ruzy Gallery in the posh Etiler neighborhood and to a historic restaurant in Nisantasi.
Leading the week: Fairy tales for grown-ups
Gulin Karabacak’s “Alice” at Ruzy Gallery’s “My Fairy Tale” exhibition. (Courtesy of Ruzy Gallery)
One of the most striking pieces in Ruzy Gallery’s “My Fairy Tale” is a wall covered with 92 brownish-red and off-white paper-clay roses (main picture). Journalist-turned-artist Gulin Karabacak has created a vertical rose garden inspired by the Queen of Hearts in “Alice in Wonderland,” the terrifying monarch who demands that white roses be painted red. “The queen’s garden is the perfect metaphor for a surreal world where nature is forced to obey a single will," Karabacak, the artist behind Kiron Studio, told Al-Monitor. “But no one can dominate nature no matter how hard they try.”
The exhibition draws viewers down a rabbit hole where nostalgia meets eerie enchantment.
Standouts include the stoneware jugs of Ibrahim Yildizbas (of Abrahamm Creative Studio), Kemal Ozen’s polyester butterfly lifting a boy’s frail body, the bright-hued oil paintings of Simay Bahcivan and Sinan Cinar’s playful Istanbul sketches. If you were eyeing the roses, forget it — mega-collector Ali Sabanci bought them all.
In its third show since its debut with multimedia artist Ahmet Gunestekin last year, Ruzy Gallery prides itself on letting artists tell their own stories. "This is an exhibition without a curator," quips Ukrainian gallery director Polina Somochkina. "It presents the narratives of eight artists, transforming the space into a surreal kingdom that highlights the contradictions of modern society, political instability and societal norms."
Date: Until April 20
Location: Ruzy Gallery, Etiler, Tepecik Yolu, No:20, Besiktas
Word on the street: Hunkar
Fit for a sultan: succulent lamb atop an eggplant puree. (Courtesy of Hunkar Instagram)
Tucked among Nisantasi’s designer boutiques and ultra-hip cafes, Hunkar is a culinary time capsule where Ottoman flavors maintain their throne. Initially established in Fatih in 1950, it relocated to Nisantasi in 2000, outlasting food fads with its slow-cooked meats, vegetables soaked in olive oil and garlic-rich yogurt dips.
Run by the Ugumu family, whose culinary lineage traces back to a chef who once served War of Independence hero Kazim Karabekir, Hunkar’s signature dish is Hunkar begendi — succulent lamb atop a smoky eggplant puree, which literally translates as “fit for a sultan.” Fun fact: The sultan in question is none other than Empress Eugenie, whom Sultan Abdulaziz desperately tried to impress with his imperial offerings.
Come winter, the ayvali yahni (quince stew) is a must — slow-cooked to perfection, balancing sweet and savory.
Despite Feridun Ugumu's recent passing, his brother Galip and the next generation continue to uphold Hunkar’s mission: serving heritage on a plate.
Istanbul diary
“Female” by Belkis Balpinar (Courtesy of Anna Laudel Gallery)
Anna Laudel Gallery presents “Through Woven Times,” a retrospective of pioneering textile artist Belkis Balpinar, until April 27. Blending Anatolian kilim techniques with modern abstraction, Balpinar’s works defy two-dimensionality.
“Beyond Time: Istanbul’s Water Heritage” is an immersive board game developed by architect Onur Atay and anthropologist Volkan Altinok of Urban.koop. Hosted at Salt Beyoglu on March 14, this interactive session, facilitated by Atay, explores the city's evolving relationship with water from Byzantium to today, introducing new characters inspired by Istanbul’s sea snot crisis.
Berlin-based Israeli artist Itamar Gov returns to Istanbul with “In the Family of Things,” a multimedia exhibition probing cultural traditions, memory and belonging. It runs until May 15 at Zilberman Gallery in Misir Apartmani, Beyoglu.
Book of the week: "The Kiss Murder"
“The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” meets Almodovar, with a dash of high heels and innuendo-laden dialogues. “The Kiss Murder,” part of Mehmet Murat Somer’s wickedly funny Hop-Chiki-Yaya detective series, introduces a razor-sharp cross-dressing nightclub hostess who moonlights as a crime solver. When one of her girls turns up dead over a set of incriminating love letters, our heroine, armed with Breakfast at Tiffany’s-level elegance and Thai kickboxing skills, sets out to uncover the truth.
Fast-paced, witty and soaked in Istanbul’s neon-lit underbelly, most books in the series have been translated into English, French and German, but my favorite — the politically incorrect and cheeky “The Admiral in the Pink Tutu” — is only available in Turkish.
Istanbul gaze
Emin Ozmen (Courtesy of Magnum Photos)
By the numbers
- According to the Turkish Ministry of Tourism and Culture, 18.6 million international holidaymakers visited Istanbul in 2024, solidifying its status as Turkey’s top tourist destination. This marks an increase from 17.4 million in 2023 and 16 million in 2022.
- Istanbul accounted for 35.3% of all foreign tourist arrivals in Turkey last year. Russians led the pack with 1.98 million visitors, followed by Germans (1.42 million) and Iranians (1.15 million).
