02/04/2026
Ned Pamphilon tells us how he painted "SpongeBob SquarePants" :
"It was late 2007. I was flying back to Istanbul when a strange, yellow character appeared on my in-flight monitor. I’d never seen or heard of SpongeBob SquarePants before. It was bizarre, surreal... and yet, clearly an international phenomenon I had somehow missed. At the time, I was documenting my journey of learning Turkish. I was inspired by My Fair Lady—the idea that a new speech can change a human being, filling the gap between soul and soul. But as I struggled with the language, I asked my teacher: 'Have you ever heard of this SpongeBob? His answer surprised me. Of course he had. To him, it was SüngerBob. In that moment, I realized how deeply this character was woven into the Turkish pulse. From a mere whim, I decided to paint my own version. To me, he wasn't just a cartoon anymore; he was a part of my Türkiye. "It sparked a curiosity in me about the nature of ideas. If I paint the Hagia Sophia, the image is mine to share. But what happens when we paint a global icon? I’ve seen my portraits removed for 'infringement' before, yet art is about observation. If I observe a character and bring it to my canvas, isn't that original expression mine to sell? "In 2008, I brought my SpongeBob to Istanbul and then to England. I watched children run toward the painting, shouting his name with pure joy. Parents couldn’t help but smile. They saw a friend; I saw a bridge between cultures. To this day, I’ve never watched a full episode. But put this on your wall... and I’m confident it will bring a smile to your face. Just as it did to mine."
Shop the original painting at www.istanbul1881.com
