Art is art. Except, of course, when it is art.

We went to the Istanbul Modern Art Museum and I couldn't help but compare it to the many art museums I've been to in the United States. Specifically, the MOMA,or Museum of Modern Art in New York City. While art is always subjective and each piece is unique, I get used to seeing the same imagery, themes, and overall messages. Landscapes are generally recognizable and styles are repeated. Walking through the Istanbul museum, I was surprised at both the differences and similarities I found.

Obviously, the landscapes were different. In place of farm animals, colonial structures, and traditional "urban" settings were mosques, differently-constructed people, and rows of colored apartments and buildings. The videos were especially different - videos in the museums I've visited generally address industrialization, geometry, and politics. There were some like this but quite a few that were, well, over my head. Mouths without faces, a woman decorating her apartment with her own lip prints, and a slumbering clown, just to name a few.

I found similarities in political issues, the evolution from traditional to abstract, and the embrace of the absurd. There was an obvious rebellion against tradition and the government and this was shown in pieces using bold colors and boundary-pushing images (much like in the United States). Industrialization and construction was also addressed; in a video from Taksim Square, a family ate in an apartment dining room while the building next to them was torn down.

While many countries embraced Western art, Turks managed to create their own unique and artistic scene. Art will always address similar issues because people are almost always facing similar struggles in society and their personal lives, but it is up to a culture to hone their own style, which the Turks definitely did.