A beautiful meeting with Omar Berakdar, the founder of Arthere, an art space in Istanbul

I had the pleasure of meeting twice Omar Berakdar. He forces respect! He had a fascinating journey and does everything he can to help people in need.

Omar Berakdar is a Syrian photographer based in Istanbul since 2012. He studied chemistry and also the history of art in the media in Austria.

He is the founder of Arthere, a space that combines a cafe, an art gallery and an atelier for artists. The atmosphere is very warm and we easily spend hours talking with this man who is so passionate about art.

This space is dedicated to artists of all backgrounds, many Syrians who have fled the war and find here a place to express their creativity.

Arthere is the realization of Omar’s passion for creators in exile like himself. Many cultural events are organized in this space such as concerts, projections and dedicated workshops.

The concept is simple and open: resident artists use the atelier to create their artworks and at the same time they participate in the management of the cafe and gallery.

We want this space to be financially independent and to be able to cover its basic needs. We use the revenue generated by the cafe, the sale of artworks, and the organization of artistic and cultural activities, workshops, and events to achieve that goal. We follow a schedule and everybody works in the café and the kitchen. After work, we work on our art and event organizing, Omar explained.