Journal #1 | Istanbul

This bustling city is an endless source of inspiration to me. Coming here for over 13 years I always feel like discovering new corners, architectural gems, tastes and sounds. While having the chance to show my friend this city, I get to enjoy new sights and sounds all over again.

There is so much to say about this breathtaking place but words usually do not some up what I experience here. If I could write an ode to Istanbul and it’s people I would. Here some short glimpses into a world of wonders.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed…

At first, there is a gentle breeze, a certain smell and this deep sound. I am listening, listening to Istanbul, a city that has been immortalized through the poems and quotes of many. A city that poets and writers have tried to demystify for centuries. But there is no written word that can describe how I feel.

Istanbul comes in many colours, but to me me the city comes in an array of blues. Deep indigo mixed with accents of turquoise and a sprinkle of silver glitter…

Ina Rinderknecht

MY TRAVEL TIP FOR YOU: Zeyrek Çinili Hamam - The Healing Ruins Exhibition

Zeyrek Çinili Hamam opened its doors with a contemporary art exhibition, held for the first and last time in the historic baths and Byzantine cisterns. The exhibition was held from September 30 to November 30 2023. If you missed it, don't despair! The museum itself is also worth a visit.

The hammam is like a protective shell made of marble protecting our carnal envelope, shields our physical barrier from the outside world and allows it to reopen, renewed. It has served as a timeless portal for purification, cleansing, renewal, and even atonement rituals for thousands of years.

The artist group show, transform Zeyrek Çinili Hamam into a psychic excavation site with references ranging from psychoanalysis to alchemy. Legends, echoes, whispers, poems, skins and bodies, rituals, tiles, spolia, architectural ornaments, symbols, secrets, love stories, celebrations, conversations, pains, hopes, and ghosts, which have been lost and forgotten over time, find new forms and perspectives within the exhibition through sculptures, paintings, drawings, photographs and installations.