Contemporary Istanbul opens for the 8th time

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

This year The New Horizons section explores contemporary artistic expression of the surrounding countries in the region. On the other hand, this year the fair’s preview will be available on Artsy.

Held at Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) and the Istanbul Congress Center, the 8th edition of the Contemporary Istanbul fair will run from Nov. 7 to 10. The fair offers a comprehensive range of international and Turkish art including painting, sculpture, video works, installation and limited editions from local and international galleries from different and mutually enriching horizons. Featuring 110 galleries from 21 countries, two thirds of which come from 21 different countries, and approximately 650 artists Contemporary Istanbul will be the largest event to date. Marlborough Gallery, New York; Galerie Lelong, Paris; Andipa Gallery, London; Opera Gallery, Geneva; Galeria Filomena Soares, Lisbon; Galeria Javier Lopez, Madrid; Senda, Spain; Michael Schultz, Germany; Klaus Steinmetz, Costa Rica; Dirimart, Galerist, Galeri Mana, Galeri Nev, Pi Artworks, Rampa, xist from Turkey are among the expected galleries of the 8th Edition.

“Since 2006 the aim of CI has been to raise awareness of both local and international artists in Turkey, while increasing interest amongst international audiences in Turkey’s vibrant contemporary artistic scene,” said Ali Gureli, the chairman of fair. “Our vision is to be a fair embedded in the culture of Istanbul while being an artistic hub for galleries from across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. We believe in the assets of the local culture should not to be effaced by the uniform, homogenous global culture. Aligning ourselves to the values in the last seven years, we gathered not only galleries from across the world but also hosted countries from the Gulf, Eastern Europe and, this year, Russia.”

Previous editions of the fair have encountered success with regards to sales and interest, with the presence of over 200 international press members, along with many eager Turkish collectors. Several groups of international collectors made large acquisitions for their collections. “In light of this success, we are happy to announce the launch of two new satellite fairs coinciding with Contemporary Istanbul in 2014, with a focus on photography, new media and emerging artists and galleries,” Gureli added.

New Horizons

The New Horizons section explores contemporary artistic expression of the surrounding countries in the region. Having previously featured contemporary art from Syria, Iran, the Gulf and Central and Eastern Europe, the 8th edition’s focus is on Russia, with Contemporary Istanbul playing host to galleries, artists, curators, publications, art critics and collectors from Russia. Marina Gisich, St-Petersburg; Anna Nova Gallery, St-Petersburg; Blue Square Gallery, Washington; Galerie Iragui, Moscow/Paris; Pop/off/art, Moscow/Berlin; Art.re.Flex Gallery, St-Petersburg are among the galleries which will be hosted in New Horizons section.

Hermann Nitsch, one of the founders of Vienna Actionism, combines performance art with painting to powerful effect. He will be present with “Malakt,” his 66th painting performance, at Contemporary Istanbul. Nitsch has held 138 performances, the first one being in Vienna in 1962 and the last one being in Leipzig in June 2013. He also staged 65 painting performances, of which the first one took place in Vienna in 1960, and last one in Prinzendorf in August 2013. Nitsch’s 66th painting performance will be exhibited in Istanbul Congress Center throughout the fair.

Preview on Artsy

This year the fair’s preview will be available on Artsy. Artsy’s mission is to make the entire world’s art accessible to anyone with an Internet connection. It is an online platform for discovering and collecting art. Its growing collection comprises over 50,000 artworks by over 11,000 artists from leading galleries, museums, foundations, and artists’ estates. Artsy provides one of the largest collections of contemporary art available online.

Powered by The Art Genome Project, a way of providing pathways for discovery for experts and non-experts alike, Artsy has said it hopes to foster new generations of art lovers, museum-goers, collectors, and patrons.