Street Art at Commencis: The Story of Kaybid

It’s a bit difficult to summarize briefly, but this journey began in 2017. I just waited almost a year to find this name, and on April 1, 2018, I started by sticking my first work in a park in Arnavutköy. I didn’t tell anyone about it. I just put it up and shared it on my social media account. I didn’t meet anyone, nor did I mention anyone about it. I hadn’t told my family yet even two years later. I was going out at night, sticking my works everywhere until morning, then photographing them and making animations from the photos later. A year later, my works unexpectedly turned into a collaboration with WWF. My animals were featured in WWF Market products for two seasons. To be honest, it was a source of pride for me to contribute to an organization like WWF in this way.

To date, I’ve created over 500 works on Istanbul’s streets alone and, there have been nearly 40 animations. Surely, many of them disappeared due to urban conditions or human interference, but the photos of my works and the animations that I created from those photos still exist, and my animals continue walking silently in these animations. Their locations are marked on Google Maps.

Additionally, I was invited to the 16th Istanbul Biennial titled “The Seventh Continent” and the Digestion program designed by Birbuçuk (Ecology and Art Studies). My works have also been exhibited in events and venues such as MamutArt Project (Istanbul), Digital Graffiti Festival (Florida, USA), Greenpoint Gallery Night (Brooklyn, NY), Grenoble Street Art Movie Fest (France), Times Square (New York), and Straat Museum (Amsterdam).

To be honest, I wouldn’t say it was a choice. It was a natural progression of my journey so far, I found myself in the streets. For the works I do —especially with the “Silent Steps” series— I still can’t imagine an alternative way to present or exhibit them. So, in a sense, the street became my destiny.

When I leave my animals in the streets, I always turn back for last look; sometimes, I don’t leave the place, linger for a while. After all, they are open to the communication of other eyes, other perceptions, memories, and emotions. Their meaning will be shaped by the experiences of the people who notice them, potentially triggering a reflex or emotion as unique as the observer. Yes, I hope they evoke feelings of surprise, excitement, or perhaps hope. Honestly, I can’t describe the thrill I feel while creating these works. I hope my work conveys a fraction of that feeling—it has completely transformed my life. Of course, it’s impossible for them to cause major changes in people’s lives, but even if they suggest that such transformations and new awareness are possible, that’s enough for me. After all, my works only exist for a short time—physically or conceptually tied to the narrative of the story—on that wall before they disappear. They exist as much as they’re noticed within that brief time, much like our temporary lives in the grand scheme of time.

When this idea was proposed to me, I asked for some time to think it over because I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about placing my animals anywhere other than the streets or in the display formats I’d designed. However, I saw it as a great opportunity to realize a project I’d already been considering. I had been thinking of creating a skateboarder, but when the Commencis proposal came along, I made a small adjustment and replaced the skateboard with the iconic “Hoverboard” from the movie “Back to the Future.”

Honestly, the “Back to the Future” series is an incredible film about science, time travel, technology, and possibilities. If the protagonist Marty McFly had attended Istanbul Technical University (ITU), he would definitely come university by a Hoverboard. Moreover, he would come to the campus and Commencis, and probably working there too.

I built the story on this idea. A young Istanbulite rides a Hoverboard, gliding through Istanbul’s streets to ITU and eventually to Commencis. In every frame of the animation, the figure of the young skateboarder tours Istanbul’s streets and the Commencis office.

I had the opportunity to create works in Milan, Lisbon, Amsterdam, and Paris. Each city’s streets and the process involved were adventurous and full of surprises for me. One of the most exciting moments was having two of my works permanently displayed at Straat Museum, one of the world’s leading street art museums located in Amsterdam. You can now see a penguin and a rhinoceros of mine there.

The Olympic project was for a planned exhibition titled “Collision” organized by Görkem Kızılkayak at the French Institute. It aimed to bring the Olympic spirit, held in Paris this year, to Istanbul. The exhibition invited street artists, carrying the pulse and perspective of the streets into the French Institute. However, the exhibition was canceled due to political reasons and left all preparations unfinished.

In the project I designed, Istanbul and Paris were connected through a relay race animation. While half of the animation took place in Istanbul, the race would continue in Paris after baton changed hands. I had completed the Istanbul part for the exhibition. Of course, it wasn’t an option to leave the Paris part unfinished. I decided to complete the project independently and finished the Paris section just for three days before the end of the Paris Olympics. I’m grateful to everyone who supported me in this period. It turned out quite a unique marathon for me.

2025 will definitely be an exciting year for me. I can hardly stop myself dancing when I think about it—and yes, sometimes I dance like crazy. I’m already deeply immersed in work. Görkem and I will collaborate again for his street art platform Oktowallz which will be launched in new year. I think we’ll announce it soon. I can confidently say that 2025 will be a new and thrilling year.