Illegal Photo

What you are looking at is an illegal photo. You are not allowed to take pictures inside Istanbul Modern. I had to sneak this one while the guards were not looking. If I had my choice-this would not have been the photo I would've taken-it just so happened to be the one piece that didn't have a guard walking by it non-stop. This cat is just one of the many pieces in the museum that I looked and thought "what the hell does this mean?" I wish I was one of those hipsters who walked into a modern art museum and understood the paintings. I wish I could look at this cat and say "ah, I see, this is clearly the fall of Napoleon and also an interesting portrayal of democracy..." but I don't see that. I see a freaky looking cat waving at me.

But I am thankful for the effort and creativity it took for the artists to create their pieces. I am thankful that people use their brain and their heart to create something for us to enjoy or for us to question or for us to just look at. I realized that it didn't matter if I understood the piece or not- maybe just being surrounded by the art was enough. It did make me want to express myself in new ways. And that is something to be thankful for.