Culture & Art

Culture & Art (145)

"Scenarists, directors, producers, opera singers, painters,mastery of cello, actor, actress, musicians, and dance groups are all in this section.  Their performans, exhibitions, films, music, show, biennials... "

TOA Awards 2026 Finalists - Performing Arts

The **Performing Arts** category recognizes exceptional artists whose creativity, talent, and dedication have enriched the worlds of music, composition, performance, and the performing arts. These finalists have earned international acclaim through their artistic excellence, innovative work, and lasting contributions to culture, inspiring audiences across generations while elevating the global visibility of Turkish artistic achievement.

TOA Awards 2026 Finalists - Cultural Heritage

 

The **Cultural Heritage** category recognizes individuals whose work has significantly contributed to preserving, researching, interpreting, and promoting Turkish art, history, and cultural heritage. Through scholarship, curatorial excellence, and museum leadership, these finalists have helped introduce the richness of Turkish civilization to international audiences while strengthening cross-cultural understanding.

Chicago Turkish Festival draws more than 10,000 people

Chicago Turkish Festival draws more than 10,000 people

Over 10,000 people attended a three-day festival celebrating Turkish culture in the US city of Chicago, drawn by traditional cuisine, art and theatrical performances. “The response to our invitation was much more than our expectations. We are very pleased,” said Halil Demir, one of the founders of the committee for the event, which ended Sunday. “In fact, we were able to bring so many people. We surpassed 10,000 people,” said Demir, adding they estimated that the number of visitors on the last day of the festival numbered in the thousands. Demir, who is also the executive director of the charitable group that spearheaded the festival, the Zakat Foundation, said it was a “fantastic feeling that people responded to our call in that very short time.”

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Turkish Stories Shine in the Heart of Hollywood

Turkish Stories Shine in the Heart of Hollywood

Supported by Turkey's Ministry of Tourism and Culture and sponsored by OGM Pictures, the event brought together industry leaders, film enthusiasts, and Turkish stars for an unforgettable two-day celebration of storytelling and creativity. The opening night featured the premiere of Zeki Demirkubuz's "Life" (Hayat), Turkey’s official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2025 Academy Awards. On the second day, the event began with the screening of "We Need to Talk About Dilan", a short film produced by Dilan Çiçek Deniz, and continued with premieres of two highly anticipated Turkish series from OGM Pictures, **"Scheherazade" (Şehrazat) and "The Forgotten Ones" (Sahipsizler). The event not only showcased Turkish storytelling to an audience of industry professionals, including Academy and Golden Globe members, but also provided a platform for cultural exchange within the Turkish-American community.

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

"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.

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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. 

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The Gifted Photographer Joined TURKOFAMERICA Team

The Gifted Photographer Joined TURKOFAMERICA Team  

Koray Kasap is potentially one of the most famous and talented Turkish American photographers in 21st 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.  

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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.’

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. 

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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. 

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