ISTANBUL GALATA

DEVRİM ERBİL × ÖZİPEK

Istanbul – Galata (İstanbul Galata)

Istanbul – Galata is Devrim Erbil’s tribute to one of the city’s most enduring symbols — not merely as a tower, but as a witness.

At the center of the composition rises the Galata Tower, rendered not as a solitary monument but as the gravitational core of Istanbul itself. From its body, thousands of lines radiate outward, weaving the city into existence. Streets, rooftops, domes, and memories unfold simultaneously, collapsing centuries into a single visual moment.

The dominant turquoise-blue field evokes both the Bosphorus and the sky — a chromatic space where water and air merge. Against this atmosphere, Erbil’s signature linear language builds density through repetition. The city feels infinite, vibrating with movement, yet anchored by the calm authority of Galata.

This is not a topographical view. It is a psychological one. Galata becomes the eye of the city — observing, remembering, absorbing. The surrounding architecture dissolves into rhythm and texture, suggesting that Istanbul is less a place than a continuous state of becoming.

The birds, scattered subtly across the upper field, introduce Erbil’s recurring metaphor of freedom and continuity. They lift the composition beyond architecture, reminding the viewer that Istanbul’s true identity lies between earth and sky, permanence and motion.

Özipek’s interpretation transforms this complex vision into a woven masterpiece of extraordinary finesse. The precision required to translate Erbil’s dense line work into silk is monumental. Each knot preserves intention, direction, and breath. As light moves across the surface, the city seems to expand and contract — alive in the viewer’s presence.

Istanbul – Galata stands as one of the most iconic outcomes of the Devrim Erbil × Özipek collaboration. It is a work where contemporary Turkish art meets the timeless discipline of high weaving — resulting in an object that belongs equally in a museum, a collection, and history.

This is not a view of Galata.
It is Galata remembering Istanbul.