‘Dream and Reality’ celebrates a century of Turkish famale artists

The works of women artists from Turkey who have left their mark on the last century are being celebrated with an exhibition and a lineup of events in the coming months. You can catch ‘Dream and Reality – Modern and Contemporary Women Artists from Turkey’ at the groundbreaking Istanbul Museum of Modern Art until Jan. 22

For an exhibition of influential, yet largely forgotten women artists, you couldn’t pick a much more symbolic name than Hayal ve Hakikat (Dream and Reality).

The title first belonged to an 1891 novel co-written by acclaimed writer and journalist Ahmet Mithat and Fatma Aliye Topuz, a lesser-known figure even though she was one of the first female novelists in Turkey. The first part of the romantic story, Dream, was written by Topuz, while Reality was penned by Mithat, a division of labor not reflected in the credits: The book’s cover listed its writers as Ahmet Mithat and “A Woman.”

Today, Hayal ve Hakikat is the name of a new exhibition at the groundbreaking Istanbul Museum of Modern Art (also known simply as the Istanbul Modern) that celebrates the works of 74 women artists who have left their mark on Turkey over the past century. As Levent Çalıkoğlu, Istanbul Modern’s chief curator and one of the curators of the exhibit, puts it, Dream and Reality – Modern and Contemporary Women Artists from Turkey is “a comprehensive anthology from early beginnings to the present day.”

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German cinema coming to an Istanbul screen soon

Istanbul Modern Cinema and the Goethe-Institute Istanbul bring together a selection of recent, award-winning German films for the mini-festival, 'Till Death Do Us Part.' Take a look at five of the unique and unpredictable films from young German directors as they tackle love, death and the meaning of family for 10 days between June 9 and 19

As the movie season draws to a close, occasional film festivals and screenings are popping up to offer unexpected treats to movie enthusiasts. Istanbul Modern Cinema and the Goethe-Institute Istanbul are collaborating for a mini-festival of recent, award-winning German films. The selection of 10 films will be screened under the title Till Death Do Us Part and will run June 9-19. Here is a look at five of the award winners from new directors, with offerings running the gamut from bizarre coming-of-age tales to heartbreaking love stories and chilling mysteries.

The festival will open on June 9 with Sophie Heldman’s debut feature Satte Farben vor Schwarz (Colors in the Dark). The film, which wowed audiences and critics at last year’s San Sebastian International Film Festival, stars Bruno Ganz and Anita Berger as a couple in their 70s who have been together for half a century. The film, following the final days of Fred’s life as the couple try to deal with his terminal illness, takes a uniquely fresh approach to the themes of love and death.

Click here for full article (Hürriyet Daily News)