December 19, 2016 Comments Off on Yasin Arıbuğa: Re-imagining Istanbul Through Classic Art Paintings Views: 2169 Imago, Street Art

Featured artist: Yasin Arıbuğa (Turkey) | Behance | Instagram

Classic Art Paintings on a journey of their own. Mostly in Istanbul

It’s fascinating how imagination–with a little bit of creative manipulation–can sometimes change and transform public spaces, and in the case of Yasin Arıbuğa, it’s all about constructing a different image of Istanbul. Once classic art infused in some of the most recognizable scenes of Istanbul, the city suddenly looks different, re-created and dazzling. Without further ado, scroll down and see the selection of Yasin’s artwork we share at This City Knows.

#1 “For God’s sake!”

For centuries, Istanbul has been an important crossroad of different cultures and religions. Yasin playfully uses some of the classic art paintings to play with this important aspect that defines this city, and the results are something utterly refreshing and revitalizing.

#2 Lying on its side

Remembering times of war and uncertainty. The soldier’s uniform makes a strong contrast with the naked male body on the right.

#3 In the city

The beat of Modern Istanbul pulsates alongside the ancient heart of the city. It’s a special dance.

#4 41° 1´ 18.8400″

One story you can recall when gazing at the Maiden’s Tower from the ancient shores of the Üsküdar district is about a young man called Leander, who falls in love with a girl as they meet one day at the Maiden’s Tower.

According to the legend, each night Leander swims to see his girl. Each night, the girl lights a fire on the rocks, so that Leander can find his way through the water. However, a storm came down over Istanbul one night and extinguished the fire. Leander was unable to find his way to the rocks where the Maiden’s Tower stands and guards the city. He loses his way and drowns in the cold and dark water. The girl finds the loss of her lover terrifying and she takes away her own life as well.

#5 Like 6 o’clock (extra)

A bustling city that never seems to sleep; its streets, the bazaars, the ever-moving crowds around the big open markets. Then the Istanbul underground, one of the oldest in the world, as old as those of New York and London. But only here, it’s where classic sculptures bump into the ride, or it’s just your imagination.

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#6 “Look into my eyes”

There is something poetic to watch the cityscapes as moving through the streets of Istanbul. A special emotion lingers around the corner and tells a new story about the city all over again.

#7 Istanbul, Turkey

And when you are tired, just lie down on a bench, in the city parks, by the beach, or down in the tube…

#8 Smoking, waiting, contemplating

Virginia Woolf’s character of Orlando stays in Istanbul at one instance in the book and in one moment, Orlando contemplates on human memory:

“Memory is the seamstress, and a capricious one at that. Memory runs her needle in and out, up and down, hither and thither. We know not what comes next, or what follows after. Thus, the most ordinary movement in the world, such as sitting down at a table and pulling the inkstand towards one, may agitate a thousand odd, disconnected fragments, now bright, now dim, hanging and bobbing and dipping and flaunting, like the underlinen of a family of fourteen on a line in a gale of wind.”



#9 The Bosphorus

Then another excerpt of Orlando reads: “I am sick to death of this particular self. I want another“. Then, one evening, Orlando goes to bed and falls asleep. He sleeps for a very long time, and when he wakes, he is no longer “he”, but “she.” Orlando has transformed into a woman. Just like Istanbul. For one night, the city went to sleep, and in the morning, as it woke up, everything was changed. It was unclear where the real cityscapes begin and where the classic paintings end. Imago.

#10 Kadikoy, Istanbul

Kadiköys Alleys are seductive to wander around Istanbul. It’s always the crowd, the people, the shops, the bars, the tourists, fresh and tasty fruits and vegetables, tons of fish and flabbergasting sunrise. The Sea of Marmara embraces Old Istanbul here, still once in a while, one can recapture this darkened picture in the mind.

#11 Istanbul is Re-Born

Want to see more of Yasin’s work? Make sure you check at Behance and/or Instagram

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Tags: Art, Istanbul, Turkey, Yasin Arıbuğa