Sinanation

Erwin Wurm is a famous Austrian artist focused mainly on sculptures and photography. Many know him by his fat car series and those pieces are my favorites. Similar to Botero, Wurm differentiates his work from others with the use of obesity. Using tools and gadgets of our modern society, he tackles the rigidity of formalism with humor. The sleek modern sports car becomes overweight, defying the very purpose it was built for. The durable sailboat oozes into the water, going against the dynamics it was designed with. The properly dressed man reaches into his pants to masturbate, breaking the principles of the modern society. Through his art, Wurm reminds the contemporary man that he can still embrace humor and sarcasm without losing balance and lift off some of reality’s weight off his shoulders.

A bit of research shows that Wurm’s small sculptures go for approx. USD 80K in auctions.

When you decide to drive around a 4-wheel drive dash madcap car in the city you need to spice up your life to serve it justice. And that is exactly what Mini Turkey was doing last week at Otto Santral Istanbul: giving its drivers the perfect occasion to feel a little more funkier. Past 11pm the legendary automaker brought Miles Kane on stage inside a warehouse-turned-bar. Mr. Kane, a British 25 year-old singer, greatly influenced by the Beatles, rocked the hell out of the hip fans and gave the Mini drivers another reason to race their way around Istanbul.

Check out if Mini and Kane will be coming your way anytime soon and listen to this visionary guitarist before he starts getting stadiums for venues instead of local concert halls.

Finally made it to this popular Karaköy restaurant a few nights ago after a visit to one of the most exhausting art biennales I have ever been to. I am glad I took the dinner here as it was the most delicious end to a gloomy exhibition tour.

The interiors of Lokanta Maya reminds one of the Fig & Olive chain in New York with its sleek modern look, icy marbles and organic coloring. It is a small place with a sophisticated crowd (at least when we were there). I reccommend you start with the impressive house special Mücver, octopus, grilled hellim cheese salad and the amazingly delicious oven-baked crispy goat cheese. We had the ribs with couscous and the chicken with a beet risotto as main dish. Both were delicious. The deserts looked equally impressive but unfortunately there was no more room for them (you might want to keep a tiny gap for the sweets). Despite the perfect food, the service at Maya still needs a little bit of an upgrade. The waiters don’t seem to be as attentive to the guests as the cooks are the to food.

Reservations are recommended for lunch and/or dinner.

From New York to Paris, I thought I have seen the best fashion has to offer. The edgy designers, the over-dressed stores, the lavish socialites, the so serious models, the incredible sales: I thought it was all there. I was mistaken and I realized I was missing out much too much on a busy Istanbul street yesterday afternoon.

The revelation came packed in a random jeans’ store display with three ordinary mannequins. Placed in two separate restroom cabins, these three lifeless wigged wax models were up for a little more than what they bargained for. One was carefully seated on a toilet, underwear and jeans pulled down. She was prepped up to answer nature’s call while her two friends had something totally different in mind inside the neighboring cabin. Her girlfriend was finally alone with the guy she has been eyeing at the bar all night. Pushed into the corner, locked in-between his toned arms, she was shivering with horny hormones and couldn’t resist letting down her underwear. The next step was to unzip the jeans and lock the legs around his hips. The toilet on display has never been this busy. Splashed with the regular pee and poo odor  and sprayed with the excitement of a quick shack. All in bright daylight for everyone to see.

Now who would have thought all this action was to promote a few regular cotton jeans? Take that the so called edgy New York and Paris.

Thanks to my subway rides to work, I came across an amazing comic book. Sosyal Hayvan is a series of illustrated books created for adults by Erdil Yaşaroğlu. Using animals, these series take the common concerns of our society under a magnifying glass and depict them in a hilariously funny satirical tone. From weight to marriage problems, Sosyal Hayvan does an impeccable job at bullseyeing the rather useless concerns we take so seriously in life. I bought the newest edition, which was displayed abundantly on the subway walls,  a few days ago and it took me less than an hour to go through the whole thing.