Welcome to Al-Monitor Istanbul.

This week, we explore the triumphs of Turkish artists — and chefs — making waves abroad. From gilded bowls in New York to floral shreds in London and Turkish dumplings that span Istiklal to Soho, this edition celebrates those shaping culture well beyond home.

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Nazlan (@NazlanEr on X)

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1. Leading the week: Making bowls and breaking them

Alev Ebuzziya Siesby’s bowls with palladium and gold leaf, a new approach to her minimalist work, displayed at Salon 94, New York. (Salon 94 website)

Two Turkish artists — Alev Ebuzziya Siesbye and Burcak Bingol — are elevating ceramics to a global stage, from gilded stillness in Manhattan to fractured florals in London’s Regent’s Park.

At Salon 94 in New York, 87-year-old Alev Ebuzziya Siesbye continues to hand-coil her signature creations — minimalist ceramic bowls known for their perfect balance, sensual curves and quiet elegance. Born in Istanbul and trained across Europe, she has spent decades refining this form with endless variations. Her latest exhibition, “Vibrations,” introduces a bold twist: bowls coated in palladium and gold leaf, glowing but with her trademark elegance. Presented alongside the exhibition is “Studio Ceramist” (2007), a ten-minute film by the Turkish artist Ali Kazma, featured here last week, that portrays Siesbye at work.

Meanwhile, the daring artist Burcak Bingol has been invited to show in London at Frieze Sculpture 2025 (Sept. 17–Nov. 2), this year themed “In the Shadows.” Born in Gorele, on the Black Sea, and raised in Ankara, Bingol holds a........

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