Inspired by Ertuğ Uçar’s İstanbulin, together with Sibel Keyvan and Ertuğ we brought İstanbulin Conversations to life. In the heart of Istanbul, at Minoa Pera, we wanted to talk, debate and think together with guests from different fields about subjects that are pleasant and particular to the city.
In our gatherings we spoke with people who depict and write the city, about getting to know Istanbul on foot, the right to the city, the city’s animals, its buildings and its waterways. Together with Ertuğ we brought our guests’ work into conversation with our own urban experiences; with readings from the book, sketches and images, we opened the conversation to everyone in the room.
İstanbulin Conversations was a very instructive and interesting experience for us as well. What we learned from our guests and from the audience made us look again at the Istanbul we thought we knew. At every gathering we saw once more how differently we live in the same city, and how much we have to tell one another.
Project: Sibel Keyvan, Ertuğ Uçar, Banu Uçak Curators and hosts on stage: Ertuğ Uçar, Banu Uçak Project lead: Sibel Keyvan Inspiration: Ertuğ Uçar’s book İstanbulin Collaboration and venue: Minoa Pera, Istanbul Period: 2025–2026