‘I am an heir to four different civilisations. In my auto portraits, my hands are İranian, my dress is Byzantine, my face is from Crete and my eyes are from the Orient…’ Fahrünnisa Zeyd
I am not a child of capitalism. My childhood and young adulthood was a part of the pre-capitalist world. These were the times before neo-liberal policies had shaped Turkey. I am talking of a world where there was less to consume and more to experience. Although my whole career has been built on market research, I am not a fan of consumerism. I find most objects of consumption repetitive, banal and rather boring. There are few objects of desire that catch my attention when I go for shopping in İstanbul and I always find it rather sad that most people are drawn to objects and brands that will make them feel like they belong to the same clan and the same status.
İstanbul Modern Museum Shop feels like a breath of fresh air in this atmosphere as it is a home to a wide range of creative objects designed by artists as well as a rich collection of art books. The Museum Shop hosts a range of objects from jewellery to home accessories, from cups and mugs to scarfs that ignite one’s imagination. Most objects are designed either by local artists or designers who have taken their inspiration from other ‘cult’ artists that are no longer with us.
When I am in the store, I love walking along the aisles of art books and objects all sorts inviting us to sense the world in different ways.
If you visit Galataport in Karaköy, I would highly recommend you to drop by İstanbul Modern Museum Store to have a glimpse at the creative objects created by the artists and designers of modern Turkey! After you have visited the shop, you can always see the collection of the original artists who have inspired these designers in the Museum itself and Turkish female artist Fahrünnisa Zeyd is a great example!
Here is a short documentary about this exceptional female artist that inspired the designers affiliated with the İstanbul Modern Museum.
