GIRL POWER

The Girl Who Reads Her Dreams

Gökhan İlboğa (Turkish)

A Turkish artist friend teaching at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University invited me to the historic city of Van in eastern Turkey.

On the last day of my visit, I accompanied him to his class, where he suddenly (!) announced I would be the model for the day’s portrait class. While trying not to fidget and be as professional as possible, I surveyed the art-filled room. This painting caught my eye, and I mentally filed it away.

Back home in Istanbul, I kept flashing on it. There was something so appealing about it. Its serenity. The barefoot girl reading a book. My Van friend put me in touch with its creator: a fourth-year art major named Gökhan İlboğa. I promptly contacted him and bought his painting. Gökhan then texted me…

The painting’s title is ‘The Girl Who Reads Her Dreams.’ It’s my protest against a local traditional culture that doesn’t value educating its girls.

His message went viral when I posted the painting on social media. Sema Başol, a Los Angeles friend and founder of Turkish Women’s Initiative, contacted me. She asked who the artist was, and subsequently commissioned Gökhan to do a painting for her organization.

Art begets art.

My day as a model. (Don’t ask to see any of the portraits.)