Background
Chris originally from Camden, London is now based in Istanbul where he works as a freelance illustrator and journalist. 'Surreal Istanbul' started as an underground comic on the Istanbul punk scene in 2000.
The comic is avaliable at a number of bookshops in central Istanbul and was distributed free at the one and only Fall gig in Istanbul in March 2003. The drawings are reflective of the intense energy and chaos of Istanbul and could be seen as a celebration of the marginal, underground part of city life.
While to some extent surrealist and situationist perspectives have informed the content of 'Surreal Istanbul' the drawings are independent of any avowed political or artistic philosophy. The slogans 'No Fire escape in hell' and 'Beyond Punk' are both oddly apt titles for the caricature drawings in 'Surreal Istanbul'.