Alexandra Klobouk, decided one day to get to the bottom of the Turkish culture, which, though very present in Berlin, is little known beyond the clichés. Klobouk then learned some Turkish and enrolled for a semester in Istanbul as a guest student of graphic design to form her own impressions of Turkey and its people. This resulted in many drawings, and later in a complete little book.
While drawing, Alexandra Klobouk always tries, above all, to tell stories, and with humour. If drawing on the spot, she identifies a particular section or detail that she would like to capture and then try to further reduce the scene down to its essence – through comments, reduction or exaggeration. This artist from Regensburg has received several awards.
Istanbul is a European metropolis, but it is always a huge, oriental city: exciting, lively and unpredictable. You get to know a lot of people because you have to constantly ask for directions. You get to know strange places because you got on the wrong bus.
Anyone who walks off the beaten track can quickly get lost. But the Istanbulus are extremely helpful and will always show you the way - even if they don't know it himself ... And the moment you think you're hopelessly lost, a saving angel appears from somewhere, takes you by the hand and takes care of that you arrive safely at your destination.
Burka and Nikab, Hijab and Chador: Female Islamic veils have many levels. In addition to the headscarf (hijab), which is worn in many colors and patterns as a thin scarf more or less casually around the head and usually also covers the neck, there are different forms of full-body veiling. The Nikab, for example, is a face veil with a narrow slit and is usually worn in conjunction with a black robe.
Everything is a bit different in Istanbul: “Dolmuş” means stuffed. For example, a Dolmuş is a shared taxi that starts only when full. Completely full. But then it does get going. Often only speed and volume help. Speaking of loud: If you live in Istanbul, you are loud.
Barbara Buchholz on "Istanbul mit scharfe Soße?"
If, when looking at Alexandra Klobouk’s drawings, you feel reminded of Saul Steinberg’s modernist illustrations in the New Yorker or of Sempé’s fine line, you are not wrong."
