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| A work from Gallery Non: Angel Atatürk or What if Rodin was a Kemalist | (The attack was made to Gallery Non) |
Published in City Brief
Hatice Utkan
Istanbul, the 2010 Cultural Capital, values its art as the city experiences joy, creativity, love pain, and sorrow with the works of the artists. While new galleries open, new artists come to the scene, new art movements are born and art develops in the city.
However, Turkey is currently experiencing something “against” art as an event in Tophane last week suggests that there is an undercurrent in the city that is standing against art.
On Sept. 22, 40 people attacked a gallery during an opening of a new exhibition called “ExtraMücadele.” The title also signifies the event, as it means “extra struggle” in English.
This time, those 40 people struggled against art. Some say that they attacked because the art galleries have ruined the original environment in Tophane, while some say there was noise or alcohol consumption. Whatever it is, it is such an illogical reason to attack a couple of people during the opening of a new exhibition.
Tophane, a really old district of Istanbul, is known for its original heritage. The district’s people are not very educated and some of them are immigrants from the eastern parts of Turkey. Before a couple of years ago, a more educated society settled there and began to change the district. An urban transformation process began. However, this process had no success.
The transformation process has alienated two societies and the old society of Tophane does not want to share the city. The ethnic and economical differences started to cause problems. The education may be an important solution for this. However, the damage was done, some of the artists were injured and the galleries were damaged also.
It is evident that some people do not value art or artists and cannot see how can art develop the city and expand the communication between the different types of cultures and societies. They see art as a “whimsical” need of more educated society. They do not feel they belong to their own district when they have to share it with others.
Unfortunately, as people will continue not to tolerate each other, the art will be a “whimsical” need of others and the trend of struggling against art will continue.
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| A work from Gallerry Non |
A lack of education is a problem, however, as not knowing how to educate those that conducted the “philistine” attack is the larger story behind this gallery attack.