Graffiti is no longer considered a kind of vandalism, at least in the art world, and the shift from typography to other forms of symbolic expression is clear in Istanbul, too. I came across these ones in a district, which is going through gentrification in the past few years. I found it to be a nice challenge to the hip art galleries mushrooming in this low key neighborhood, Tophane, where the old Istanbul still resonates. The juicy gossip would be the attack on a few art galleries a few years ago on the grounds of serving alcohol to their visitors on the opening night. A close encounter with the third kind. It takes time to get used to one another, I would say.

 

 

Tags:  gentrification graffiti inspiration street art Tophane