We would like to welcome you to our monthly diary where we will be sharing our habits, discoveries & cultural attractions that we garner our ideas and inspiration from.

We think creation happens through processing a thousand ideas and a thousand revelations, a whirlwind of stimuli. Past, present and our imagined future comes together as we put pen to paper, sketching for new collections. We draw our creativity from referencing certain periods of history or just strolling the streets of Istanbul which literally means tripping over some forgotten ruin, whilst taking in instances of pretty, delicate details mixing in with the organized chaos. This last point is very Istanbul!

We hope you enjoy.

Love,
Basak and Defne

Image: Daniela Bianchi in her yellow suit while filming From Russia with Love in Istanbul, 1963

 
WATCH

33rd Ankara Film Festival
November 2nd to 10th

A few of our favorites will be shown, including Sweet Thing, written and directed by Alexandre Rockwell. A beautiful film exploring the memories of children before they enter adulthood. The cinematography is captivating.

 
VIEW

Nackiyé with Galerie Nev
Esma Ekiz, ‘Tame Trees, Wild Flowers’
October 25th and onwards

The first artist to grace Nackiyé’s walls is Esma Ekiz, a self taught genius from Turkey's Black Sea region. A retired tobacco worker, Ekiz became interested in painting and drawing at a later age after fostering her children's own art careers. Experimenting with the materials they left behind, she successfully transferred her world view, that of the flora, fauna and personalities of Black Sea mountains to paper. She created hundreds of paintings and drawings which were shown in many group exhibitions and became part of various distinguished collections from the 1980s and onwards.

VISIT

Topkapi Palace

The secret: Choose a cold but sunny winter day. If possible, take the early ferry to Eminonu. Walk up the hill through Sirkeci. Arrive right when the doors open. For a short while, you will be one of the few people in this magnificent palace and its gardens overlooking Bosphorus. The Seraglio quarters is our favorite. The tile work is magnificent.

EAT

Aslan Lokanta

November is the perfect time to visit the old city of Istanbul. A lunchtime treasure, we will be eating here before getting lost in the Grand Bazaar. Climb up the stairs to enter the elegant room, sit by the window and try as many dishes as you can.

LOOK

With Paris Photo just around the corner, we think this photo is the epitome of Nackiyé.

Genevieve Naylor, 1947, Courtesy Augusta Edwards Fine Art

READ

Italo Calvino, The Art of Fiction No. 130

An insight into Italian writer Italo Calvino’s life and work, here is an interview with The Paris Review. It is wonderful to discover old writers and place them on our future reading list!

LISTEN

How to Host the Perfect Dinner Party, FT Weekend Podcast

After hosting our own dinner party to celebrate Nackiyé’s new space last week, we enjoyed listening to some playful dinner advice by Harriet Fitch Little. 

HAVE A LOVELY NOVEMBER!