14th Istanbul Biennial: Büyükada Art Safari
'SALTWATER/TUZLU SU: A Theory on Thought Forms' is the theme for the 14th Istanbul Biennial drafted by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev. In a city deeply saturated...
Review: Sara Baras @ Zorlu Center
Although it was not specifically advertised in the promotion, Sara Baras came to Istanbul to present her show Voces (Voices). The artist from Cadiz...
Moovment Festival: An Energetic EDM Celebration in the Heart of Istanbul
Summer is slowly coming to an end. This means a few things – beach days and vacations are becoming distant memories, all the foreign...
Reflections on the 2018 Istanbul Theater Festival by IKSV
Navigating the theater scene in Istanbul is certainly a challenge at times, especially if you need English subtitles. As a New York theater kid,...
Ginza Ginza: Authentic Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Cuisine in the Hub...
Opening a business at any point in Turkey, especially as a foreigner, is a daunting prospect. Restaurants in particular pose significant challenges for aspiring...
A Glimpse Back in Time: Review of the James Robertson Exhibit...
Do you ever wish you could go back in time to experience life during the Ottoman Empire? If so, there is an exhibition at...
Review: Dismantling the Archive @ SALT Galata
The years between 1900 and 1940 were more than a little eventful for the Turks. The period saw numerous wars fought on many fronts,...
Celebrating Beethoven with Buchbinder (and some Mozart on the side)
Many of us might not have known about pianist Rudolf Buchbinder earlier. However, we all learned his name well last month: He was the...
Miniatürk – Educational and Fun!
Miniatürk, situated on the North-Eastern shore of the Golden Horn, in a nutshell, is a display of the main monuments of Istanbul and Turkey...
Life under Occupation: A Review of Eleni by Nicholas Gage
When Mosul was invaded in June, one of the first announcements made by ISIS was that the civilians within their territory would be treated...
Review: GusGus @ Babylon Bomonti
In short: This review is written by a person who, before going to the GusGus concert last Thursday at Babylon Bomonti, knew only two...
Review: Michael Franti @ Babylon Bomonti
Michael Franti was in Istanbul last week to perform again for the first time in over a decade. While his full band Spearhead wasn’t...
Reflections on the 37th Istanbul Film Festival (2018)
Film festivals require planning and commitment, and these considerations obstructed me from participating in the Istanbul Film Festival in previous years. This year, however,...
Electric Playground Istanbul: Nine Reasons to Check Out Marshmello
Marshmello has come a long way since first jumping into the music scene in 2015, by immediately turning heads as an anonymous producer with...
Book Review: Ten Minutes Thirty-Eight Seconds in This Strange World, Elif...
I deem Elif Shafak's novel Ten Minutes and Thirty-Eight Seconds in This Strange World, in which she tells the story of a prostitute named...
Review: Ghostly International Night @ Babylon Bomonti
On Thursday 25 February, I visited Babylon Bomonti for Ghostly International Night featuring Shigeto, Heathered Pearls and Lord RAJA. As we thought, it was worth it to...
Live from Istanbul: The Phantom of the Opera Experience
I remember being five or six years old, and watching in awe as a pretty-looking, round-eyed young woman came on the TV screen, captivating...
Review: Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra @ Salon IKSV
Canadian post-rock veterans, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, graced the halls of Salon IKSV for two consecutive evenings this past week. I was...
Review: Pink Martini @ İş Sanat
Going to a Pink Martini concert is essentially embarking on a trip around a stimulating mix of cultures, languages and instruments. Pink Martini doesn't...
Ringing in the Chinese New Year with Pop-Up Restaurant Istanbul
As to be expected, the past four years I've spent in Istanbul has seen a transition from new restaurants, new neighborhoods and the constant...
La Bayadere: Fusing Russian Composition, French Moves and Indian Sultriness
I was introduced to La Bayadere some years ago, in 2007, back in the days when the AKM -- the Ataturk Cultural Center located...
Small Projects Istanbul: Emphasizing Education
“They first need to learn Turkish to be better integrated into their Turkish communities -- namely, their schools,” stressed Anna Tuson, the communication manager...
The Away Days Return Home @ Salon IKSV
The Away Days don’t sound like your average Istanbul band, but then again, how does an “average Istanbul band” even sound? With a city...
Volunteering with Tidy Turkey: World Clean Up Day 2018
World Clean Up Day 2018 was held on Saturday 15 September. Turkey, in solidarity with many countries around the globe, responded to the call...