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With record temperatures and wildfires blazing across Turkey this week, we turn to water — as a memory, myth, diplomatic tool and much-needed relief. From an art show at a repurposed pumping station to literary currents and coastal menus, this is the Water Edition.

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Nazlan (@NazlanEr on X)

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1. Leading the week: All rivers run

“Yakup’s Goksu” by Seniha Unay. (Courtesy of IBB Culture)

An exhibition that captures the sign of the times, "Sudan Sebepler," brings together 14 young-ish artists at Cendere Arts Center at Sariyer, a district known for its waterfront and fish restaurants.

Curated by Ezgi Bakcay and Sena Tural and organized by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the show weaves visual stories of civilization and barbarism around the role of water as both a lifeline and a legacy. The name itself is a play on words: While “su” means water in Turkish, a “sudan sebep” can be translated as a “watered-down reason” or, more accurately, a flimsy excuse.

From playful water pumps to giant lobsters, the exhibit argues that we can't speak of a shared future unless we abandon our flimsy excuses for inaction in the face of........

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