Alien Walls

Fantastic Murals from the Karakoy Greek Primary School, Istanbul

C. M. Kosemen

This selection of extraordinary murals were photographed in the Karaky Greek Primary School in Istanbul, Turkey. In decorative murals that cover a classroom, a hallway and a spectacular theatre room, surreal beings such as cartoon flowers with the faces of children mingle together with scenes from ancient Greek myths and fish-like sea monsters in a bewildering dream-scape. The artist of these scenes has signed his name on the walls as Zografos, and the date 54 is visible alongside his signature. If true, this would make this collection over 58 years old at the time of writing. I do not have any more information on the identity or the life of the painter. Many of the murals have sections painted over, and some classrooms have their walls painted entirely. It is possible that Zografos might have created other murals that have now been lost. This collection was prepared in order to preserve Zografos art, should another haphazard act of renovation destroy the rest of his murals. The Karakoy Greek Primary School was opened in 1885 as part of the Galata Greek Primary School. In 1968, its assets were seized by the Turkish government and it was renamed the Karaky Primary School. In the intervening years, the schools attendance steadily dropped as Istanbuls Greek population moved to Greece and other countries. In 2011, the school was returned to Istanbuls Greek community as the Galata Greek Primary School Foundation retook control of its assets. Left without students, it now operates as a cultural center and an arts gallery. C. M. Kosemen Istanbul, June 2012.

Following page, Views of a classroom and the theatre room in the Karakoy Greek Primary School, with Zografos murals visible.

A blue plant with the face of a child.

A cartoon rabbit approaches a terrified cabbage with the face of a child.

Two flowers with the faces of children in front of blue, crystalline mountains. One of the flowers has a malignant expression.

Fantastic landscape.

The sun shines blue-yellow with a peculiar grin.

Perilous rocks jut out from the sea.

The sea teems with terrifying creatures. This is a monstrous red swordfish.

Monstrous fish with globular form, perhaps in reference to Charybdis, the mythical whirpool-monster.

Monstrous fish with its face obscured by a more recent daub of paint.

Whale-like monster fish.

A green, monstrous shark.

A golden sea monster.

The Argo sails through the Bosphorus, undaunted by the sea monsters around it.

A fish with a womans eyes and hair.

Vision of a fantastic realm.

Grotesque faces and Turkish flags from the theatre room.

Zografos signature from 1954.