The Heart of “Metropoli”
Murat Palta, Totally Legit, 2023. Fine art print, 43.3 x 30.7 inches. Photo by Gustavo Murillo, courtesy of the artist.
Curator Lara Bayer’s Metropoli pinpoints Istanbul and New York City as epicenters for cultural progress, displaying the dual interpretation of urban life, whether through the green space of Turkish tulips (Logan Criley, Tulipmanie, 2025) or the cold facade of an imposing skyscraper (Nick Hobbs, Vertigo, 2022). Bayer doesn’t seek to romanticize the two cities; rather, she has selected pieces whose collective undertones convey a deep admiration and respect for each city’s role in each artist’s life.
Earlier this week, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Istanbul, leaving hundreds injured, just two years after the devastating earthquake which killed an estimated 56,000 people across southern Turkey and Syria. “There’s always a risk of an earthquake, and the economy is not doing so well, but there are lots of stories to tell—it's both a curse and a blessing because this is what makes Istanbul rich,” says artist Murat Palta, who makes prints in the style of Ottoman miniature art.
In curating Metropoli, Bayer sourced Palta’s Totally Legit (2023), a print of a community in Mexico surrounding the bodies of two alien figures based on an alleged UFO sighting. The piece is a testament to his idea that reality and conspiracy are always somewhat interlinked. While this specific piece reflects his perception of North and Central America in conversation with Turkey, Palta gravitates toward representing a symbolic energy across politics and unfolding events.
Much like New York’s oftentimes salacious reputation, Istanbul has had its own slate of political controversy and corruption. In March, citizens flocked to the courthouse in Istanbul to protest the arrest of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the candidate expected to oppose sitting president Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming election. Those arrested for protesting began to face trial last week.
In traditional Ottoman miniature art, “there were some hidden innuendos for political views, and I carry on that storytelling style,” says Palta. His work blends modern mythology with ancient style: beginning with digital illustrations, Palta later adds layers and textures, making them appear more classical. Palta’s perspective relies on the belief that he emulates what a traditional miniature artist would find relevant to the contemporary canon, but avoids directly translating actual moments into illustrations, which he feels would appear cartoonish. “I don’t like to draw Tayyip Erdogan,” he said. “I can create his worldview, his perception, like some sort of mythological creature. Otherwise, it would miss the point of my style.”
Ali Bilge Akkaya, Underground Excursions, 2020. Fine art paper, archival pigment printing, 33.5 x 51.2 x 2.8 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
Despite legacies of infamous turmoil in both places, the exhibition as a whole turns to an infatuation with such chaos and unpredictability. It seems as though there is an insatiable desire for residents to have access to art and culture, undeterred by the crowding that comes with an estimated population of more than 15 million residents for Istanbul or 8.2 million for New York. According to Bayer, part of the charm and allure of living in a densely populated city is the proximity to other people, allowing for a robust cultural experience within a small geographical area. In Underground Excursions (2020), Ali Bilge Akkaya transforms the mundanity of a subway commute into an ethereal, living thing which embodies the anthropomorphic identity of mass public transit as a quintessential part of metropolitan life.
If any artist in Metropoli captures the undulating romanticism of a city’s past transforming into its present, it is Sedef Gali and her illusory musings. Gali was born in Istanbul and splits her time between Istanbul and New York. Her paintings, Angels and Demons of the Street (2020) and Sigara Yaldizli (2020), capture the eclectic socio-cultural moments and compassion rooted in proximity: those which are only found in cities as vibrant as Gali’s painted environments. The iridescent brushstrokes of bold, queer figures create a lust for personal freedom and evolution: the transformations people chase when they flock to urban, global spaces such as New York and Istanbul.
Deviating from the romantic and sublime, Leasho Johnson has illustrated the discordant and organic pandemonium of existence in Sound turns to mid-morning and then the silence of noon (2023). Through an orchestra of figures woven together into one living creature, Johnson captures the confusion and ethnocultural complexity which Bayer has curated across the exhibit. The parallels between global metropolitan identities in Istanbul and New York are endless, and Metropoli reflects the present moment defined by a transformative shift in understanding the ways we move throughout urban landscapes—spaces that engender chaos yet offer potential.
Leasho Johnson, Sound turns to mid-morning and then the silence of noon, 2023. Charcoal, watercolors, distemper, logwood dye, oil, collage, and gesso on paper mounted on canvas, 67.5 x 52 x 1.72 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
Metropoli is on view at the Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in New York until May 1, 2025.
Edited by Jubilee Park
