Plenty of Fantasy No Money Caricatures of an Economy in Debt (1874 - 1954)
15 Ekim 2003 - 15 Şubat 2004

Plenty of Fantasy No Money
A New Exhibit at the Ottoman Bank Museum sheds light on the economy of a period.

The Ottoman Bank Museum hosts one of its own projects this season; an exhibition titled Plenty of Fantasy No Money: Caricatures of an Economy in Debt (1874-1954). The exhibition, which will run from October 15, 2003 through February 15, 2004, focuses on the period starting just before the 1876 Constitution, up to 1954, when the last installment of the Ottoman debt was settled. Close to 200 caricatures humorously chronicle the period's major economic events, prompting us to step back and look at the lighter side of today's issues.

Caricatures historian, Turgut Çeviker, scanned the archives for the exhibition realized by caricaturists Behiç Ak and Tan Oral, Bülent Erkmen designed the display concept, and Prof. Suut Doğruel acted as economics consultant. During the setting up phase of the exhibition, thousands of caricatures and cartoons were scanned from magazines spanning the decades from the 1860s to the 1950s, and a companion book providing information on the caricatures and illustrations was prepared for publication.

"The exhibition focuses on the humorous account of an economy "in debt" through the symbolism and imagery of caricatures and cartoons," says Behiç Ak, "and the fact that similarities exist between the economic and social circumstances depicted in the illustrations and today's conditions, makes the exhibition all the more relevant". Ak added that that they were presenting the caricatures more as "social documents" than "artwork" and that visitors should not expect an "ordinary" caricatures exhibition.