Reflection: Istanbul Stories and a Larger Journey

 

'Istanbul Stories'

 Laser engraved image on walnut board, printed on paper. Single artist's proof.

Reflection: Istanbul Stories and a Larger Journey

"Istanbul Stories" is, in many ways, a starting point. It began as a deeply personal response to my residency in Istanbul in August 2024, but as I worked on it, I realized it was part of something much larger—a body of work that draws on my past, my present, and my ever-evolving understanding of what it means to create meaningful art. This particular piece, a hand cradling an eye against the skyline of Istanbul, is deceptively simple in its imagery, but it opened up a floodgate of thoughts and emotions about change, identity, and history.

Istanbul has always been significant to me, not just because of my father’s stories of a harmonious childhood there but because of its nature as a crossroads—a place where the old and the new coexist in ways that feel both chaotic and beautiful. Walking its streets, I was struck by the layers of history embedded in its stones and the lives of its people. History, as we often think of it, is defined by events, victories, and losses. But when you look closer, within the minutiae of change and within the lives of individuals, you find immense fields of feelings and visions, depth and variation.

What struck me most during my time in Istanbul was this hidden variety—the diversity of human experience that conformity often obscures. We are, each of us, walking universes of thoughts, feelings, and possibilities for love. And it is this interior world of people that I want to reflect in my work. "Istanbul Stories" is only one piece, but it has helped shape the larger collection I am now finalizing for an exhibition and publication in 2025.

This work encompasses a wide range of techniques, from hand-carved prints to digitally precise laser engravings, and everything in between. I’ve spent much of the past year working across mediums, exploring the expanded field of printmaking—using traditional methods alongside new technologies to see how these tools can push the boundaries of storytelling. One of the pieces I’ve been working on involves a map of Istanbul, inspired by my father’s stories of places that no longer exist but still live on in memory. Another draws on archival material to trace the lives of people who, like my own family, were displaced by war and upheaval. Each piece feels like a thread in a much larger tapestry—interconnected, layered, and deeply personal.

For me, working across these varied techniques has been more than just a practical exploration; it’s been a process of growth and reflection. There’s something about carving by hand, for example, that forces you to slow down and consider each movement. Mistakes happen, but I’ve learned to see them not as flaws but as part of the work’s humanity. The imperfections remind me that what I am making is an artefact—something that contains a piece of myself and that reflects, in its own way, the complexity and imperfection of life.

This process has been challenging but also profoundly rewarding. I am grateful to Arts Council England for giving me the opportunity to take this time, to immerse myself in the work, and to take risks I might not have taken otherwise. Their support has been invaluable, not just for this project but for my growth as an artist.

As I look ahead to the exhibition and publication in 2025, I hope this body of work speaks to others as much as it has challenged and inspired me. "Istanbul Stories" was a beginning, but it has already opened up so much more—a chance to reflect on our shared histories, on the universes we carry within us, and on the possibilities that emerge when we let go of conformity and embrace the richness of change.