Interaction of private art venues with surrounding urban areas (The case of Tophane)

This thesis examines how contemporary art venues are perceived by the urban communities in the districts they move into, and how they interact with their surroundings; the role they play in transforming these districts. The research is based on fieldwork carried out in Istanbul's Tophane district between 2011 and 2013. Private contemporary art galleries located in Tophane are used as a case study. Also, the thesis explores in detail the history and present day characteristics of the neighborhood, various social groups within the local community; focusing on the frictions between recently established contemporary art venues and their neighbors. The aim is to provide a comprehensive account of the social tensions and discontent caused by the presence of these art venues in the district; and attempt to make sense of these tensions both within a universal 'world city' paradigm and within Istanbul's specific context. While doing so, the frictions are diagnosed in terms of the universal cosmopolitan-local dichotomy emphasized within world cities; and also the assumed secularist-Islamist dichotomy that has been prevalent in Turkish politics, in discussions over Istanbul's social structure over the past few decades. The debate is concerned with how these identities overlap and diverge, and where contemporary art venues are positioned with respect to these dualities. Tophane is a neighborhood that has recently been going through a rapid process of transformation. The establishment of private art galleries in the area can be regarded as a part of this urban transformation process. However, contrary to theories indicating that the presence of art galleries or an "art crowd" in a certain urban area enhances the pace of transformation, Tophane presents a unique case where the arrival of private art galleries has instigated a palpable backlash against urban transformation, as these establishments have become targets of communal rage.