Istanbul

The Book of Streets

The Book of Streets is a series of paintings developed from my experiences of living and working in Istanbul. The work draws upon the city's architecture, landscape and street life, while also reflecting a long-standing interest in the traditions of Ottoman and Persian miniature painting.

The Book of Streets emerged from a fifteen-year investigation into the work of the fourteenth-century storyteller and miniaturist Siyah Kalem (The Black Pen). That research informed a number of residencies and exhibitions in both Türkiye and the UK, culminating in the exhibition Nomadic Tales at the Millennium Galleries, Sheffield, in 2020.

While rooted in this earlier inquiry, The Book of Streets marks a shift towards the wider traditions of Ottoman and Persian miniature painting. Drawing upon the production methods, visual conventions and narrative structures of manuscript illustration, the work reimagines contemporary Istanbul through a series of large-scale painted hangings.

Presented as an installation of twelve large-scale painted hangings, The Book of Streets invites viewers to journey through the city from one location to another, following shifting viewpoints, narratives and encounters. The work reflects an ongoing fascination with how places are experienced, remembered and reimagined through image and story.