The ghost of Jean-Michel Basquiat must be alive and well in the streets of Istanbul, painting signs for local shops.
Nalbur means "hardware store" in Turkish. Man, check out that Opel logo!
Eventually I followed the arrows and actually found the "Nalbur" in one of the side streets. It was a pretty ordinary store, except from the awesome examples of naive art on its walls.
The store was owned and run by a couple of brothers who were
Alevis, members of an indigenous Anatolian religion that borrows from Sufism, Shamanism and Eastern Christianity. Alevism has a special emphasis on mankind's mystical link with nature, and we can see this connection reflected with a charming simplicity in these walls. The figures, in their multitude, sort of "become one" with the mountains and the trees.
More details from the tree/people figures. Notice the delightfully drawn turtle and the mushrooms.
The highlight of the walls was this portrait, which the store owner explained as "Ali's tears turning into wine." Drinking wine has a special significance in Alevi rites.
Almost as impressive was this figure, which the store owner told me was the "tree of life." The guys running the shop were very friendly and enthusiastic about the photos I took, so I made a silent resolution about buying all of my future hardware needs from their shop.
The ghost of Jean-Michel Basquiat must be alive and well in the streets of Istanbul, painting signs for local shops.
Nalbur means "hardware store" in Turkish. Man, check out that Opel logo!
Eventually I followed the arrows and actually found the "Nalbur" in one of the side streets. It was a pretty ordinary store, except from the awesome examples of naive art on its walls.
The store was owned and run by a couple of brothers who were Alevis, members of an indigenous Anatolian religion that borrows from Sufism, Shamanism and Eastern Christianity. Alevism has a special emphasis on mankind's mystical link with nature, and we can see this connection reflected with a charming simplicity in these walls. The figures, in their multitude, sort of "become one" with the mountains and the trees.
More details from the tree/people figures. Notice the delightfully drawn turtle and the mushrooms.
The highlight of the walls was this portrait, which the store owner explained as "Ali's tears turning into wine." Drinking wine has a special significance in Alevi rites.
Almost as impressive was this figure, which the store owner told me was the "tree of life." The guys running the shop were very friendly and enthusiastic about the photos I took, so I made a silent resolution about buying all of my future hardware needs from their shop.
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