The Eternal Star and his Gang on Direklerarasi Street

Memis Aslan
Mixed media relief on thin copper plate, 31 x 20 cm, 400 USD

In the Ottoman Era, Direklerarasi was a street in Sehzadebasi, Istanbul’s theater district where people flocked to see Karagöz performances. Here we see Karagöz, the eternal star of those plays, surrounded by some of the secondary players, including The Dandy and Beberuhi, The Dwarf. The artist imagined Karagöz dressed in an unconventional costume embellished with Turkmen motifs.