Turkish Films II: Classics, Skeleton Suits, and Lesbian Vampires
This piece is a follow-up to Turkish Films: Four Istanbuls and a Golden Fleece.
“You Can’t Win Them All” (aka “Soldiers of Fortune”), starring Charles...
!f Film Fest Review of Theory of Obscurity: A Film about...
Director: Don Hardy
Release date:18 March 2015
Cast: The Residents, Matt Groening, Penn Jilette, Jerry Harrison, Les Claypool.
Showing on the first day of the 15th !f...
Review: Art Tour with Sena Başöz of istanbulite
By Missy Weimer and Zamira Skalkottas
In Istanbul, it can sometimes be hard to view art, but not for lack of content; the city is...
Review: Picasso at the Pera
For many, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) is the preeminent artist of the twentieth century. In addition to being active and prolific, he was able to...
Review: Medical Phalanx of Space & Spent Ex @ Karga Bar
In a city where bars and venues, from Taksim to Beşiktaş to Kadıköy, are filled with 80s cover bands and generic DJs, it is often...
The Kronos Quartet Crawls into Our Souls at the CRR
I remember very clearly the day that I was introduced to the Kronos Quartet. It was 1992 and I was in seventh grade. It...
Why It’s OK to Love “The Water Diviner”
The Water Diviner, or Son Umut in Turkish, is a film about a father traveling from Australia to find his sons lost in the...
Review: Hamdi Akatay & Tepecik Filarmoni Orkestrası @ Babylon Bomonti
A Thursday night spent in Babylon Bomonti never disappoints. Last week, I finally made it to see Hamdi Akatay & Tepecik Philharmonic Orchestra on stage....
An Evening with Popist Supper Club: Istanbul’s Newest Pop-Up Dining Experience
There is an old Turkish saying stating if you are bored with Istanbul, you are bored with life. Although Istanbul is rarely boring there...
Reflections on Contemporary Istanbul 2018
In Julia Cameron's classic book on creativity The Artist's Way, she recommends a tool called an "artist date," which she describes as "a block of...
The Exhibition: Theatre Puts A Spotlight on Community
The year is 1874. In Paris’ Café Guerbois, gathering place of artists, writers and their admirers, a group of six painters meet on the...
BaBa Zula @ Babylon: Review
Imagine the inner chambers of the Harem at Topkapi, those rooms filled with dangling tasseled lamps projecting sparkling shadowy lights onto cobalt tiled walls...
Beethoven is in the Air
2013 was a blessed year for classical music lovers and it looks like the bounty will continue on to the year 2014. Let's take...
“L’Italiano” in Town: Toto Cutugno
As the season comes to an end, concert venues entered the final days and weeks of their performances. Among my favorite venues this year...
Raskatov’s Crying in the Wilderness @ St. Irene
One of the most intriguing programs of the IKSV Istanbul Music Festival was without a doubt the evening that featured the renowned Russian composer...
Menuhin’s Prodigious Youth Perform in the Bach Festival
If you are into classical music at all, there is no chance that you have not heard of Yehudi Menuhin. He is the single most...
The Elgiz Museum: A Mixed Bag of Contemporary Art
While the Elgiz Museum is a bit off the beaten path, it is well worth a visit. Located in Maslak, it showcases the Elgiz...
Review: Luis Ernesto Gomez & Latin Jazz Band @ Nardis Jazz...
This weekend, I visited Nardis Jazz Club, just a few metres away from our beautiful Galata Tower, to catch Luis Ernesto Gomez & Latin Jazz Band. Despite visiting the venue on...
Babylon Soundgarden 2017: Staying True to Istanbul’s Roots
2017 may have been host to a fair number of quality summer music festivals in Istanbul, but for those who don't favor electronic music,...
Turkish Films: Four Istanbuls and a Golden Fleece
Way back in December of last year, I commented on a Yabangee article about films shot in Istanbul/Turkey and complained about the obviousness of...
Reflections on “Kulüp”: A Yabancı Perspective
“Do you know why this city exists? So that a guy like me doesn’t take you to the end of the world.” This is...
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble feat. MF Doom and Mos Def
Saturday night belonged to the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. The thought of a brass ensemble generally conjures up, at least for me, an image of...
Maxim Vengerov & The Polish Chamber Orchestra: A Legend @ Iş...
Music, music, in the hall; who is the most talented of them all? For millions the world over, the answer is, without a doubt, Maxim...
Moda Van Kahvaltı: Brunching in Turkey
Around every corner, down every alley, and through every doorway Istanbul reveals a surprise. If you walk far enough and long enough the city...