Contemporary Istanbul to be held in October

ISTANBUL

Contemporary Istanbul (CI) will present its 16th edition in a new location, Tersane Istanbul, from Oct. 7 to 10.

The fair will bring contemporary art to one of Istanbul’s most important heritage sites, following a major regeneration project to breathe new life into the historic Haliç Shipyard and the Golden Horn district.

Tersane Istanbul will open its doors eight months ahead of the targeted date by pushing the project completion time forward for Contemporary Istanbul.

The venue, which will become one of the new landmarks of Istanbul, has been one of the most important renewal and regional development projects in the field of culture and arts in Istanbul in recent years.

Launching the city’s autumn art season, Contemporary Istanbul will bring together galleries from around the world to highlight the dynamic contemporary art scene that has risen out of Istanbul in recent decades, with the main sponsorship of Akbank.

“This year, special efforts were made to bring art lovers together at Tersane Istanbul, which has an important place in Istanbul’s cultural heritage. This year will be quite different, not only because of the change of venue, but also because of the relative normalization of life,” said Akbank chair Suzan Sabancı Dinçer.

“We will bring together the artists, participants and collectors with culture, art and technology at Tersane Istanbul, the biggest regional renovation project of recent years. In the 16th year, we will host more foreign press members in Istanbul during the fair, together with the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency. They will visit not only the fair but also Istanbul,” Contemporary Istanbul board chair Ali Güreli said.

“Again, this year, for the first time, we will host contemporary art galleries, artists and collectors from St. Petersburg and Moscow with the Focus Russia project. We aim to establish a bridge between Russia and Turkey in the field of contemporary art. In addition, Moma and Garage Museum of Contemporary Art will also be in the museums section of the fair,” he added.