Culture & Art

Culture & Art (144)

"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... "

"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.

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. 

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.  

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.’

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. 

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. 

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."

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.

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.

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.

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