Culture & Art - turkofamerica.com

"The Dynamic Duo: Hayrettin and Tolga's Journey from Viral Projects to Career Transformations"

One of the recent viral videos on social media features a group of Americans cruising the streets of Manhattan in a TOFAS-branded Doğan SLX, with comedian Hayrettin behind the wheel and Americans in the backseat jamming to Cengiz Kurtoğlu, a Turkish musician, record producer, lyricist, songwriter, composer, and pianist. In Times Square, they enjoy döner kebab next to their Doğan SLX. Ali Zivalioğlu, who brought the TOFAS SLX to America, is originally from Giresun and is a truck driver residing in New Jersey. The car is his childhood love as well. Comedian Hayrettin has become one of the most talked-about names on social media thanks to such content. Behind his success stands the mastermind, manager Tolga Doğruer. Shooting videos while touring the streets of Manhattan in an old model car imported from Turkey has become one of their recent fascinating projects.

August 14, 2023
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Turkish-American Women in Arts and Technology: New York Designer / Artist Pinar LaCroix's Journey

Art and Technology has always played a significant role in human life and development throughout history. As art comes in many different forms such as painting, sculpture, photography, and music and touches people's lives in various ways technology moves us forward. Today, we want to share the success story and background of one Turkish-American artist, Pinar LaCroix, from New York City, who has found a way to seamlessly combine art and technology. Pinar LaCroix a graduate from ISTEK high schools from Istanbul, developed a deep appreciation for art history and heritage, due to her family’s passion in arts and collecting. After pursuing her academic education she moved to the United States to broaden her artistic vision globally. Her first recognition in the art world came when her painting was recognized by Arica Hilton gallery in Chicago (2001) and was collected at a mixed exhibition. With the first money she earned from her art, she purchased a computer to dive into the world of technology and to feed her curiosity.

April 13, 2023
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The Gifted Photographer Joined TURKOFAMERICA Team

Koray Kasap is potentially one of the most famous and talented Turkish American photographers in 21^st century joined to TURKOFAMERICA team as a creative art director and lead photographer. Kasap has worked as both an image maker and a photographer for several well-known Turkish singers, TV stars, model, and artists such Tarkan, Mazhar-Fuat-Özkan, Müslüm Gürses, Ahmet Kaya, Kenan Doğulu, Cem Yılmaz, Yılmaz Erdoğan, Bayezıt Öztürk. After moving to the United States in 2017, Kasap also worked with Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jason Statham. Most recently he shot photos of Netflix movie which was shot in New York, Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ and Beren Saat have leading roles.

January 7, 2023
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Burhan Öçal made his United States debut in February 1998 with Eliot Fisk in Los Angeles. PHOTO by KORAY KASAP

World Percussion Master Who Doesn't Like to Brag, Burhan Öçal

Recognized worldwide as a virtuosic percussionist Burhan Öçal has made the bridging of musical cultures his central mission. A native of Kırklareli in Thrace region, he grew up in a musical family. From his father, he learned a variety of percussion instruments, while his mother introduced him to religious vocal music. After his first contact with Western music, he became interested in combining other genres and cultural traditions, such as jazz and Western classical music, with his own. Burhan Öçal’s instruments are as diverse as his music. He is a highly skilled player on a number of stringed instruments. Once Sting described him as ‘the king of drum.’

December 28, 2022
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Süheybe Çökük’s customers include retail giants such as Michael Kors, Children's Place, David Yurman, Tommy Hilfiger, Bloomingdales, and Macy's. Photo by Koray Kasap

Printing from Walls to Vehicles, from MoMa to Mom&Pop

When COVID-19 spread and halted life, employees of Letra Sign Supplies, a sign, banner and printing business in Garfield, New Jersey were concerned. They had moved the company from Clifton, NJ to Garfield that year. The company was on the eve of growth. They were providing logo, banner, sign, and other printing materials services to the retail sector at all scales, from small to large. What they feared did not happen. On the contrary, their business grew.

December 28, 2022
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Nail (Nile) Candan. Photo by Koray Kasap

Selling Carpet Across the U.S.

Sellers in the carpet shops in the Grand Bazaar, İstanbul are known in the world for their unique sales techniques. The sales adventure ends with the customer who enters the shop saying "I will definitely not buy a carpet" and receives thousands of dollars’ worth of carpet to his home. Carpets sold in Istanbul Grand Bazaar are delivered directly to Germany, France, Belgium, the United States and all over the world. They swallowed the dust of the Grand Bazaar together at an early age, carried carpets, served tea to tourists, swept the floor, tried to learn English together, and got scolded by the boss. The story of the friendship and brotherhood of two apprentices of the same shop for nearly 35 years, stretching from Istanbul to America.

December 28, 2022
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NYC Mayor Adams attends Turkish Parade

The annual New York Turkish Day Parade was held in Manhattan after a two-year break due to the pandemic. The Parade started on East 53rd Street on Madison Avenue and ended in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, opposite the United Nations building.

The 39th Turkish Day Parade was held with the theme, 'Towards the Centenary with the Crescent and Star', under the coordination of the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey. More than 50 organizations and associations from the US and Turkey attended the Parade.

The Janissary Band within the Istanbul Historical Turkish Music Ensemble of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism also appeared in the Parade. The folk dance groups from Konya Seljuk University and Izmir Dance and Arts performed in the events organized within the 39th Turkish Day Parade.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams also attended the Turkish Parade and addressed the Turkish-American community. He stated that he valued the Turkish community in the US and said: "I am happy to be celebrating the Turkish parade with you on this beautiful day."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Turk of America Journalist Ali Cinar that "I'm a friend of the Turkish people here and abroad. I have a large Turkish population that lives in New York, probably one of the largest in our country,"

At the Parade festival at Dag Hammarskjold at 2nd Avenue and 47th Street, Manhattan, Turkish Ambassador Murat Mercan addressed the Turkish-American community and said: "We aim to conserve and pass down our Turkish identity to the future generations. Our unity and solidarity will grow stronger thanks to this Parade. I would like to thank all of our associations who have contributed to the event."

May 22, 2022
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Written by Ali Cinar

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Tony’s Art: Loud, Colorful, and All-Embracing

A talented abstract painter whose vivid and vibrant art exists in three dimensions simultaneously. Tony Şeker is a New York-based multicultural artist who was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1961 while his father was working at a multinational company. Due to the critical and unpleasant situation in his home country, caused by the civil war in 1975, Tony Şeker’s family had to migrate. First, they moved to Europe than settled in Ohio. He studied math in France and had an MBA degree from Rutgers University. He moved to Cliffside Park, NJ in 1977.

September 13, 2021
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Eighth Seattle Turkish Film Festival Set to be Screened Online

The 8th Seattle Turkish Film Festival will be screened online due to the coronavirus pandemic. The week-long event aims to give American movie lovers the chance to watch the best Turkish movies of 2019. Presenting four feature films to the American moviegoers this year, the STFF Shorts Committee also selected 10 short films to screen within the festival, including 3 Grand Jury favourites. The committee has been accepting short film submissions annually since 2014 and received 200+ submissions in 2020.

December 4, 2020
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seattle turkish film festival

The New York Turkish Film Festival on December 12-15, 2019 at the SVA Theatre in New York

The American Turkish Society's signature cultural event, the New York Turkish Film Festival will take place between December 12-15, 2019 at the SVA Theatre in New York. This year's Festival showcases a selection of five feature films, one documentary and four short films, bringing the best of contemporary Turkish cinema to you. This unique selection represents this year’s Festival theme: “Contemporary Struggles”. We live in times of constant change, of continuous tensions, in times where building walls and barriers seems like the answer to pressing issues. Yet, problems can only be solved through dialogue and cinema can be a strong and beautiful tool to create that dialogue.

November 19, 2019
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The Russian Arts Theater and Studio Presents "The Rise And Fall Of Macondo"

The Russian Arts Theater and Studio presents "The Rise And Fall Of Macondo", a theatrical performance inspired by Gabriel García Márquez's magnum opus One Hundred Years of Solitude. Staged by acclaimed director Aleksey Burago and featuring the studio ensemble, embark upon a magical and sleepless journey in South America and see the birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. Turkish actress Desen Uygur, grand daughter of Nejat Uygur, renowned Turkish actor and comedian, is also starring at the play. She plays one of the lead character " Amaranta". The play will be performed in English from on October 30th to November 24th at Pushkin Hall, 165 West 86th Street Second Floor New York, NY 10024. To purchase ticket please visit at http://russiantheater.org/

October 29, 2019
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New York Ataturk Chorus and Incesaz to Perform at the Legendary Carnegie Hall in New York City

New York, NY- On Saturday, November 2 at 7:30 p.m. Turkish and International Music Ensemble brings renowned Turkish band Incesaz and New York Ataturk Chorus to Carnegie Hall. This will be the first time for Incesaz and New York Ataturk Chorus to perform Turkish music at this iconic stage to more than 600 audiences. The concert will begin with New York Ataturk Chorus singing an exciting repertoire of classical songs including polyphonic arrangements that reflect the vibrancy of Turkish music. Led by music director Nedim Katgi on the piano, the Chorus will be joined by eight professional instrument players. Since the chorus’ inception, talented and dedicated volunteer singers from New York Metropolitan area have gathered together with the common purpose of perpetuating the richness and diversity of Turkish choral music for the enjoyment and edification of audiences. The Chorus hopes that the concert at Carnegie Hall will draw attention and interest to Turkish music, promote Turkish music to a wider variety of audiences with diverse backgrounds, develop current audience base and nurture a sense of community and a love for Turkish music.

October 29, 2019
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Katharine Branning receives her award from Umran Beba, Vice President of Pepsi Co.

The Most Well Written Story of Turkish Tea

How did you meet Turkish people and Turkish tea first? Did you know anything about them before then?
Before coming to Turkey I had little knowledge about the country, its people or customs. I of course knew the basics: that it was a Muslim country located in the Middle East; that the Ottomans ruled there; that it was famous for baths and strong coffee, but that was about it. I had learned, however, much about its art in my university classes. I remember being fascinated as a child by the image of the camel on the pack of Camel cigarettes my father smoked and always asked to play with the pack. I think the first words I ever learned to read were “Turkish Tobacco” which was written in bold on the pack! But I knew nothing about the tea culture: I assumed that all Turks drank Turkish coffee!

July 1, 2019
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Demetra with his husband businessman Mustafa Mustafaoglu.

A Cultural Diplomat: Demetra George

Demetra George (Mustafoğlu), Honorary PhD: one of the most celebrated musical ambassadors of the United States. Soprano Demetra George has graced opera stages and concert halls, including Carnegie Hall as well as U.S. Embassies across Europe. A two-time Grammy List nominee for her cd “Demetra George Sings Love Arias” she has sung for four U.S. Presidents, and performed with over 700 symphony orchestras and boasts a repertoire of more than 20 opera and operetta roles and 18 in musical theater.

July 1, 2019
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