Memory Art: Water and Islands in the Work of Hera Büyüktaşçıyan
Arie Amaya-Akkermans does a deep dive into the fascinating career of Istanbul-born Greek Armenian artist Hera Büyüktaşçıyan.
Author: Arie Amaya-Akkermans
Traveling Through Turkey With Gertrude Bell and Pat Yale
Arie Amaya-Akkermans reviews Pat Yale's latest book that follows in the footsteps of Gertrude Bell while highlighting Turkey's rich history.
On Museums and the Preservation of Cultural Heritage
Arie Amaya-Akkermans on the history of war, colonialism, memory and how museums strive to preserve and display artifacts and art.
The Ghost of Gezi Park—Turkey 10 Years On
An art critic comments on the 10th anniversary of the Gezi Park protests with an overview of a decade of corresponding Turkish art.
Deniz Goran’s New Novel Contrasts Art and the Gezi Park Protests
A novel about "toxic authoritarianism" and how it has shaped the lives of countless young persons in Turkey, sometimes through exile.
Newly Re-Opened, Beirut’s Sursock Museum is a Survivor
Arie Amaya-Akkermans recounts the history of Beirut's museum, with its multiple destructions and resurrections.
For Those Who Dwell in Tents, Home is Temporal—Or Is It?
Home is increasingly an elusive quality in an era of war, climate disaster, economic collapse and family misfortune.
Letter From Turkey—Antioch is Finished
TMR's senior writer in Turkey, Arie Amaya-Akkermans, travels to one of the worst-hit areas to survey earthquake damage and talk to survivors.
On Lebanon and Lamia Joreige’s “Uncertain Times”
Arie Amaya-Akkermans reflects on Lamia Joreige's "Uncertain Times," which represents the Lebanese wars and their aftermath.
Film Review: “Memory Box” on Lebanon Merges Art & Cinema
Arie Akkersmans-Amaya reviews the latest film by Lebanese artist duo Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, whom he interviews.
On “True Love Leaves No Traces”
From Leonard Cohen to Apollo and Daphne to French philosopher Jean-Lun Nancy, Arie Akkermans-Amaya looks at the influences of an Istanbul exhibition.
(G)Hosting the Past: On Michael Rakowitz’s “Reapparitions”
Arie Akkermans reviews an Iraqi American's exhibitions as they attempt to recreate missing and destroyed artifacts taken from the National Museum of Iraq after the American invasion in 2003.
Etel Adnan’s Sun and Sea: In Remembrance
Art critic Arie Amaya-Akkermans summons the gods of art and poetry as he reviews the life work of the late polymath Etel Adnan, 1925-2021.
War Diary: The End of Innocence
Arie Amaya-Akkermans investigates Agenda 1979: Imagine sitting at home in the presence of a handbook for destroying, bombing, maiming and injuring. The poet Etel Adnan features prominently.