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"Istanbul, 112x140cm, oil/ canvas, 2013"
About attempted coups and green oases
Seven questions to Anke Schima about her picture "Istanbul" (2013),created during her stay in Istanbul from August to October 2013 - while around Taksim Square, the clashes continued.
What was your inspiration for this painting?
The omnipresence of the city and the impossibility of escaping it.
Is it a real or a fictional place?
Not directly. But the Haydarpaşa station in Kadıköy has inspired me. It used to be the city's second-largest tourist hub - since 1908, trains have traveled from there to Anatolia, Syria, Iran and Iraq. In 2012, the service was stopped. The station has become a deserted place, where only lost tourists enter and leave. In a way, it could be a symbol for a basic feeling that can be found in many places in - the presence of old things which have become obsolete - but still determine the cityscape. A kind of "aura of things".
What about the fenced piece of grass?
Next to the train station, you can find a similar piece of grass, as the one you see in the picture. It bears the same characteristics as the station: it is fenced, used to have a completely different purpose and there are no people. I have seen it and cannot forget it. For days, I was thrilled by the green and the shallow swaying of the blades of grass. I think, it was a kind of deprivation of grass and green meadows. Only then did I realize how much I took the "green" for granted and how much it meant to me. But not necessarily in its fenced form. But of course, it would probably not be so green otherwise.
The scene is deserted. This is unusual for your work, why are there no people?
In Istanbul, I was secretly wishing to be alone all the time, because you never are - you are always surrounded by an enormous mass of people, cars and noises. There are no real retreats. It would be nice to sit alone in the alley, next to the grass, on a plastic chair without hearing anything.
The picture could be seen as a hint on nature that needs protection. Have you ever dealt with the Murals, the tradition of the agitatoric murals?
No, but in talks about my works the painters of Naive Painting are often quoted, and I do not mind.
The overturned plastic chairs could have been witnesses of an argument on the street?
The plastic chairs are rather a sign of the indifference of the Istanbul inhabitants. It does not matter where, garbage is simply left where it is. Definitely a terrible sight. For me, having seen the dirty beaches was enough to get a bad conscience with every plastic water bottle I bought.
Did you hear about the protests in Taksim Square during your time?
I was in Istanbul from August to October 2013 and I lived in Ortakoy, which was about 1 hour from Taksim Square, going by bus through the regular everyday traffic jam, or you could take a 30 minutes walk. In Ortakoy itself, you did not really notice the conflicts. When I talked to our neighbors, I was very careful about politics, as I wanted to avoid the typical Western mistake of knowing local problems better than the locals. But many people were thinking that the whole thing was about mad students. If you noticed something, then only by television or by the atmosphere in the city and the conversations with the people. Since the violence of the Turkish police commands me big respect, I avoided the conflicts on the Taksim Square on purpose.
In the mornings after the clashes, only the riot police vehicles which were still parked in the side alleys reminded you of the unrest. The Taksim Square or the adjacent Istiklar Street is a tourist attraction. It seemed to be important that the Istiklar quickly got back to its usual open-minded Hollywood face. However, I am convinced that Taksim Square is no place for tourists who do not really speak the language of non-peaceful debate. From my point of view, this is not a student revolution - rather the Istanbul's educated citizens' protest movement. But it is clear to everyone that the voices of the Anatolian peasants have a greater influence than those of the intellectuals in Istanbul. A sad certainty.
Interview: Anna-Lena Wenzel / Picture: Anke Schima
Translated from German to English by Thorsten Mika
published in: 99% Urban, 3/2014, http://www.99prozenturban.de/von-umsturzversuchen-und-gr%C3%BCnen-oasen)
Seven questions to Anke Schima about her picture "Istanbul" (2013),created during her stay in Istanbul from August to October 2013 - while around Taksim Square, the clashes continued.
What was your inspiration for this painting?
The omnipresence of the city and the impossibility of escaping it.
Is it a real or a fictional place?
Not directly. But the Haydarpaşa station in Kadıköy has inspired me. It used to be the city's second-largest tourist hub - since 1908, trains have traveled from there to Anatolia, Syria, Iran and Iraq. In 2012, the service was stopped. The station has become a deserted place, where only lost tourists enter and leave. In a way, it could be a symbol for a basic feeling that can be found in many places in - the presence of old things which have become obsolete - but still determine the cityscape. A kind of "aura of things".
What about the fenced piece of grass?
Next to the train station, you can find a similar piece of grass, as the one you see in the picture. It bears the same characteristics as the station: it is fenced, used to have a completely different purpose and there are no people. I have seen it and cannot forget it. For days, I was thrilled by the green and the shallow swaying of the blades of grass. I think, it was a kind of deprivation of grass and green meadows. Only then did I realize how much I took the "green" for granted and how much it meant to me. But not necessarily in its fenced form. But of course, it would probably not be so green otherwise.
The scene is deserted. This is unusual for your work, why are there no people?
In Istanbul, I was secretly wishing to be alone all the time, because you never are - you are always surrounded by an enormous mass of people, cars and noises. There are no real retreats. It would be nice to sit alone in the alley, next to the grass, on a plastic chair without hearing anything.
The picture could be seen as a hint on nature that needs protection. Have you ever dealt with the Murals, the tradition of the agitatoric murals?
No, but in talks about my works the painters of Naive Painting are often quoted, and I do not mind.
The overturned plastic chairs could have been witnesses of an argument on the street?
The plastic chairs are rather a sign of the indifference of the Istanbul inhabitants. It does not matter where, garbage is simply left where it is. Definitely a terrible sight. For me, having seen the dirty beaches was enough to get a bad conscience with every plastic water bottle I bought.
Did you hear about the protests in Taksim Square during your time?
I was in Istanbul from August to October 2013 and I lived in Ortakoy, which was about 1 hour from Taksim Square, going by bus through the regular everyday traffic jam, or you could take a 30 minutes walk. In Ortakoy itself, you did not really notice the conflicts. When I talked to our neighbors, I was very careful about politics, as I wanted to avoid the typical Western mistake of knowing local problems better than the locals. But many people were thinking that the whole thing was about mad students. If you noticed something, then only by television or by the atmosphere in the city and the conversations with the people. Since the violence of the Turkish police commands me big respect, I avoided the conflicts on the Taksim Square on purpose.
In the mornings after the clashes, only the riot police vehicles which were still parked in the side alleys reminded you of the unrest. The Taksim Square or the adjacent Istiklar Street is a tourist attraction. It seemed to be important that the Istiklar quickly got back to its usual open-minded Hollywood face. However, I am convinced that Taksim Square is no place for tourists who do not really speak the language of non-peaceful debate. From my point of view, this is not a student revolution - rather the Istanbul's educated citizens' protest movement. But it is clear to everyone that the voices of the Anatolian peasants have a greater influence than those of the intellectuals in Istanbul. A sad certainty.
Interview: Anna-Lena Wenzel / Picture: Anke Schima
Translated from German to English by Thorsten Mika
published in: 99% Urban, 3/2014, http://www.99prozenturban.de/von-umsturzversuchen-und-gr%C3%BCnen-oasen)