JUNE 2024 · ESCAPE
Beyoglu - Istanbul
Beyoğlu, Istanbul
The side streets off Istiklal are where the marking happens. Orange shutters pulled down over blue tiles. A graffitied stairway entrance painted in orange and blue, the steps themselves part of the composition. Someone has placed a vintage car — painted over entirely, every surface tagged — in an alley just wide enough to fit it. Across from it, a miniature house, same treatment. The objects have become part of the surface.
Every facade has been written on. Ottoman-era stonework with rust stains running from window frames. A corner building with a red iron balcony and a bookshop on the ground floor. Weathered pink walls with staircases in them, painted designs ascending with the treads. The city's conversation with itself happens on whatever surface is available.
The city's conversation with itself happens on whatever surface is available.
Beyoğlu — June 2024
Istiklal Avenue runs straight and wide. The red tram passes through crowds, and Taksim Square opens at the top with the mosque dome above the gathering. But that's the spine. The side streets are the actual place. A narrow cobbled lane with every shopfront shuttered, all different colours. An Ottoman building with rust-stained facade and window frames so corroded the stone around them has darkened.
People sat in a restaurant interior, drinking tea, framed by the doorway. A food vendor stall with hanging sausages and graffiti above. A group of men working at a street stall. A man holding an Ottoman Empire flag at a street event, expression composed. Street musicians playing on Istiklal, a small crowd gathered.
The sculptures are matter-of-fact. They sit in the alley like parked vehicles. A vintage car covered entirely in spray paint. A theatre poster collage papering a full section of hoarding — layered, not curated.
The last image I kept: a tabby cat on a cardboard box in front of a wall of faded signage. The cat ignoring both the box and the writing behind it.
Street musicians performing on Istiklal Avenue, Istanbul
Storefront with orange shutter and colorful graffiti in Beyoglu
Weathered pink wall and stone stairs with street art details
Blue storefront with orange metal shutter and graffiti
Narrow cobbled street lined with shuttered storefronts
Ottoman-era building with rust-stained facade and window frames
Restaurant interior with customers dining and drinking tea
Bright storefront with ornate details and hanging decorations
Graffitied storefronts with protective bars and graffiti faces
Row of ornate Turkish building facades with detailed shopfronts
Stairway entrance with painted designs in blue and orange tones
Mosque minarets and domes against clear blue Istanbul sky
Abandoned storefront with weathered facade and faded signage
Istiklal Avenue with red historic tram passing through crowd
Taksim Square with mosque dome and crowds gathering below
Colorful graffiti-covered wall in residential alley
Bench with mural art and person walking past on street
Woman walking past layers of layered street art and graffiti
Blue painted miniature house sculpture with graffiti surround
Vintage car sculpture painted with graffiti designs in street
Food vendor stall with hanging sausages and graffiti above
Group of men at street stall preparing or serving food
Vespa scooters parked with ivy vines and leather saddles
Collage of theater or concert posters covering wooden boards
Crumbling concrete structure with weathered walls and EPOP text
Historic corner building with red balcony and bookshop storefront
Narrow street with pastel buildings and vintage storefront
Man holding Ottoman Empire flag and signage at street event
Street market scene with vendor and graffiti-covered walls
Vendor working at open-air market food stall with signage
Person descending stairs past antique shops and hanging textiles
Corner building with ornate stonework and laundry hanging
Street scene with cat on Coca-Cola box and faded wall signage