An art dynasty returns to the spotlight
“They call it chaos, we call it home” is one of Istanbul’s better-known slogans — and it feels especially fitting this week. As Ramazan Bayrami, or Eid al-Fitr, approaches and many Istanbulites dream of a long spring weekend, nightly protests continue over Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest on corruption charges. Some art events are canceled, and galleries have reduced their hours.
Still, this is Istanbul — a city of layers, contradictions and endless reinvention. This week, we explore the scandalous legacy of an art dynasty, a protest frozen in a single unforgettable photo, and a book that reminds Europe that its story stretches to the Bosporus.
But are Turks happy in this chaos? Read until the end to find out.
1. Leading the week: Art and scandal
Cem Yigit Uzumoğlu as Cevat Sakir, who will make his name in literature with the alias “the Fisherman of Halicarnassus,” in a scene in the historical drama “Portrait of a Scandalous Family,” streaming on Disney Plus. (NOWTV)
One son became the Homer of the Turkish Aegean. One daughter brought modern Turkish painting to Europe. Another pioneered ceramics with a rebellious, feminist flair. The Kabaagacli clan was part Ottoman aristocracy, part pioneer in the new republic founded by Kemal Ataturk, and mostly scandalously bohemian.
Cevat Sakir, later known as Halikarnas Balikcisi (the Fisherman of Halicarnassus), was exiled to Bodrum after shooting his father — the general, diplomat and author Sakir Pasha — in what was called a crime of passion. There, he transformed punishment into legacy, becoming a literary cartographer of the Aegean soul.
His siblings were equally dazzling and stormy, including engraver Aliye Berger, ceramicist Fureya Koral, and princess and painter Fahrelnissa Zeid and her children, painter Nejad Devrim and actress-director Sirin Devrim. All were pioneers in their fields and the talk of the town.
The clan is back in the spotlight, thanks to “The Sakir Pasha Family: Miracles and Scandals,” a star-studded period series directed by Bahadir Karatas and streaming on Disney Plus. A fire on the film set and a lawsuit by descendants who felt the series took too many liberties with the family history briefly halted production, but the cameras — and the fascination — are rolling again.
At the heart of their mythos stood a house — the now-lost wooden mansion on Buyukada, the largest of the Princes’ Islands off the coast of Istanbul. “It carried us in its womb for years, its essence soaked into our bones,” wrote Berger. Cevat Sakir simply called it “big house, big hell.”
Two new exhibitions curated by Adil Bali at the Adalar Museum complete the picture. “Before and After: The Sakir Pasha Mansion” revives the lost home through rescued objects, photographs and family members' uncollected writings. “Lives Intersecting Between Bodrum and the Islands” draws the line between the Fisherman’s exile and the intellectual tides of Buyukada.
Location: Adalar Muzesi Hangar Muze Alani, Aya Nikola Mevkii, Buyukada
Date: Until July 15
2. Word on the street: Pandeli Forever
Pandeli, founded in 1901. (Courtesy of Pandeli, Instagram)
Perched above the spice-scented bustle of the Egyptian Bazaar, Pandeli has been dishing out timeless Turkish classics since 1901. Founded by Pandeli Cobanoglu, the restaurant has hosted a celebrity guest list, from Kemal Ataturk and Queen Elizabeth II to Audrey Hepburn. Pandeli has undergone several renovations, but with its cobalt blue tiles and old lace, it looks romantically worn and Old World. The menu stays traditional — olive oil dishes include celery with quince and the tarama, a creamy fish roe.
Location: Rustempasa Mah. Balik Pazari Kapisi Sokagi Misircarsi ici K:1, D:2, Fatih
3. Istanbul diary
“Behind the Shadow” by Husamettin Kocan. (Courtesy of Merkur Gallery)
Painter and academic Husamettin Kocan — founder of Bayburt’s Baksi Museum — returns to Istanbul with “Behind the Shadow,” on view at Merkur Gallery on Istiklal until April 19.
Artist Umut Erbas’ debut solo show, “Just When You Thought the Story Was Over,” transforms scorched plastic fragments collected on nature walks into haunting installations. Now on display until April 19 at Art On Istanbul, Piyalepasa.
Ayrik Otu gives two genre-defying performances on March 28-29 at Arsen Lupen Performans. Mixing Balkan, ska and funk sounds, the group sings love songs in many tongues — get tickets and info here.
4. Book of the week: “Our Europe”
“Europe turned toward the Atlantic, or gazing toward Istanbul — we are all of that,” writes best-selling French author Laurent Gaudé in the chapter titled “Enlargement” in the book “Our Europe.”
Gaudé, who won the Prix Goncourt in 2004 for “The House of Scorta,” blends lyricism with historical acumen in this epic narrative that traces 150 years of European ambition, failure, hope and reconstruction. “History has shown us that Europe grows in difficult moments,” he told Al-Monitor during a recent speaking tour in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir.
Gaudé calls “Our Europe” one of his most personal works — an ode to a continent constantly reshaping itself through conflict and connection. “The tyrants fall, and in the collapse of their places we can already hear the rumbling of tomorrow’s conflicts,” he writes. “Our Europe” — described by French newspaper L’Echo as an Iliad of our times — is a must-read in our turbulent present, whether in English or the original French.
5. Istanbul gaze
Turkish security forces tear-gassing a demonstrator, Istanbul. (Courtesy of @umitbektas, Instagram)
Reuters photographer Umit Bektas documented a surreal moment during the recent Istanbul protests: a demonstrator dressed in a whirling dervish costume recoiling as police unleashed tear gas amid calls for the release of the city’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. Bektas, an award-winning war photographer, has a rare eye for seizing unforgettable moments, whether in war zones, at state ceremonies or in the everyday chaos of Istanbul life.
6. By the numbers
- In Ipsos’ 2024 Global Happiness Survey, 49% of Turks described themselves as either very happy or rather happy — up from 42% in 2021 but still well below the global average of 57%.
- Despite the recent uptick, Turkey has seen the steepest long-term decline in happiness among surveyed countries — a 30-point drop since 2011, according to Ipsos.