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Last Wednesday, we met with Omar (Berakdar) at <a fr-original-style="" href="https://instagram.com/arthereistanbul?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">arthereistanbul</a>, which he founded. We talked about the platform, one of the venues of the 17th Istanbul Biennial, his relationship with the neighbourhood, the importance of the biennial, and art. It was a completely different experience to look at Yeldeğirmeni through the eyes of Omar, who came to Istanbul from Syria and created an open production space for artists and art lovers.If you are ready, we will start our conversation to learn the story of arthereistanbul with cats on our laps, pieces of art in front of our eyes, and the sound of the neighbourhood in our ears.&nbsp;<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">SHOOT THE BREEZE</h2>What is the relationship between arthereistanbul and Yeldeğirmeni?&nbsp;Now, we are a part of the neighbourhood. We do lots of collaborations with the locals. Yeldeğirmeni is a really close and sincere district. When I need to handle other stuff outside of the hood I can easily ask anyone to take care of the place. Over time we became a part of the family, and this means so much to me.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/8/4/1664467468734.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="0.67" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Omar at arthereistanbulPhoto: Deniz Sabuncu<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">What is the relationship between art and Yeldeğirmeni?Yeldeğirmeni is a very rooted and nostalgic place. About 10-15 years ago, the municipality started a project related to murals. It attracted a lot of attention from the environment. You can easily find lots of tours located here about murals.At the same time, there are many historical buildings around. Again, this place was protected by the decision of the municipality. That means; you will see that many of the buildings around here can stay the same for many years. People are aware of this as much as possible, and they try to buy houses from here and renovate them in exactly the same way, and they have to do it this way by law. Thanks to the locals and the people who visit, Yeldeğirmeni will be one of those who succeed in preserving its texture in the future.arthereistanbul is one of the participants in the 17th Istanbul Biennial. For you, what is the impact of the biennial and this collaboration?We had many collaborations with IKSV before. Even though we took part in the previous biennial, this one is slightly different than the others because this time arthereistanbul is one of the venues. This is so significant as the recognition of the role of the artist who presents Turkey.We have a library that tells all the stories about the war and how the war affected people. In relation to this, we started collecting books translated into Turkish and Arabic and international books to spread this awareness to people as much as possible. Knowledge is very important for people who want to learn what's going on around the world. It was very rare to find a Syrian writer to write in Turkish and now with the help of our library and space, you can easily find sources.We hope it will grow and continue after the biennial. We wanted this place to become an open space where anybody who wants to learn can come, sit, and learn. This area has always been reserved for spending time together and producing.Duly noted:&nbsp;We are collaborating with the British Council which involves 3 countries; the UK, Turkey, and Jordan. All of us were selected to host 2 displaced artists and present them in our spaces. The residency will start soon.

Aposto Istanbul

Meet Omar Berakdar; an artist who moved to Istanbul from Syria and made Yeldeğirmeni his home. And of course, he is an Istanbulite.

Omar Berakdar

While ambling the streets of Yeldeğirmeni, we stop by arthereistanbul, one of the 17th Istanbul Biennial venues, to see Omar Berakdar, its founder. We want to talk to him about the neighbourhood and arthereistanbul’s presence in it. Here is the story of his neighbourhood and why arthereistanbul is located here; &nbsp;Yeldeğirmeni from Omar's words and perspective.Writer:&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.arthereistanbul.com/omarberakdar" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Omar Berakdar</a>Think of a neighbourhood that is both in the heart of the city, easy to reach, and secluded, away from the crowds of touristic areas. For us, this kind of unique hub is called Yeldeğirmeni. This district has a deep-seated history. First of all, many ancient structures such as Greek-style buildings are present here. Moreover, it is a neighborhood that is not still not cladded by the skyscrapers.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/8/1/1664208456089.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="0.67" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Omar in arthereistanbul<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">Yeldeğirmeni was a neighbourdhood that was in disfavor much around 2007. Because of the bars and abandoned buildings around the hood, the area seemed dangerous, hence the rent, and living costs were cheaper. And, of course, this reasonable lifestyle has made Yeldeğirmeni an artist center, just like everywhere else in the world. The artists came and started renting shops, turning them into studios, and settling down here.You may think that the stores are closed when you go around for a walk, but in fact, behind those shutters, art studios remain. All rental places in Yeldeğirmeni are artist studios candidates. When we came here for the first time, we were mesmerized by the atmosphere and the first thing that came to our mind was that this area needed a public art institution. A place where everyone could contribute, sit, talk and share. As such, arthereistanbul's story began.

Soli

Yeldeğirmeni is a mysterious place where you can find art in every corner. Here is Omar's neighbourhood.  

Easy to reach, and secluded, away from the crowds

arthereistanbul

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