COUNTING DOWN TO CONTEMPORARY ISTANBUL

This year’s Contemporary Istanbul brings 1476 works by 558 artists. With only limited days to see so much, here is a roundup of the highlights of the fair: The second edition of “The Yard” exhibition promises thrilling videos, installations and sculptures. The courtyard of Tersane will be hosting 31 works of art unique to the venue by artists like Anke Eilergerhard, Ardan Özmenoğlu, Ayla Turan, Bedri Baykam, Bilal Hakan Karakaya, Can Yıldırım, Canan Tolon, Erdil Yaşaroğlu, Ergin Çavuşoğlu, Günnur Özsoy, Güvenç Özel, Halil Altındere, Isaac Chong Wai, Ingravi Desa, İrfan Önürmen, Itamar Gov, Kemal Tufan, Luis Cera, Martin Creed, Martian Tabakov, Mehmet Ali Uysal, :mentalklinik, Osman Dinç, Renée Levi, Sergen Şehitoğlu, Stefano Bombardieri, Uğur Cinel and Vuslat.

Contemporary art superstar Jeff Koons has a habit of keeping expectations high with his unique creative practice, record-breaking auction sales and works still in the making. Koons’ appearance at the 17th edition of Contemporary Istanbul is bound to send shockwaves across the art scene. The artist recently collaborated with carmaker BMW and the moving sculpture ‘THE 8 X JEFF KOONS’ he made for the brand will be exhibited at the fair.

The artistic duo ha:ar will interact with the audience to discuss the relationship between art, machines and artificial intelligence and the potential of modern technology to radically change the concept of art. Hande Şekerciler and Arda Yalkın will create art in real-time with the help of a robotic arm. The audience will be able to follow the evolution of the work throughout the duration of the fair.

Focusing on the theme of sustainability, the Contemporary Istanbul Foundation aims to use art to bring closer leading industrial brands that produce and export Turkey’s natural resources. Keeping to tradition, Akbank Art will also open a stand at the fair with an exhibition that pushes nature to the limits of our perception of reality: Clement Valla’s ‘Other Voices, Other Rooms’ curated by Hasan Bülent Kahraman. Another anticipated project is artist Günnur Özsoy’s “Sutaşı”. The sculptor bases her art practice on organically formed, three-dimensional abstract works, while also reflecting elements of nature in a way that coincides with the foundation’s main focus. Regarded as one of the key components of Contemporary Istanbul, the CIF Dialogues sessions will be held during the preview. Hauser&Wirth Monaco director Federica Beretta, MAXXI Artistic Director Hou Hanru, Architect Murat Tabanlıoğlu and Melisa Pezuk from Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will be discussing the main topic of the panel: ‘art spaces of today and tomorrow’.

Seamlessly navigating the intersection of architecture, technology and new media in a multidisciplinary way, architect, artist and researcher Güvenç Özel’s installation will be placed in three different spots in Tersane Istanbul; easily visible by visitors reaching the venue with the complimentary boat shuttle service. The installation promises to detach the viewer from the perception of physical reality in preparation for a journey in virtual reality.

Contemporary Istanbul is one of the driving forces in the development of contemporary art in Turkey. International interest in the fair has been on the rise progressively for 17 years running and the organisers remain dedicated to their role of nurturing new contemporary art initiatives in Turkey.