Istanbul Cultural Road Festival opens with exhibits

ISTANBUL

The Istanbul Cultural Road Festival, the 13th stop of the Turkish Cultural Road Festival, organized this year in 16 cities by the Culture and Tourism Ministry to contribute to Türkiye’s brand value, kicked off at the weekend.

The exhibitions that opened on Sept. 28 as part of the festival attract great interest from art lovers.

The exhibition titled “Pablo Picasso - A Journey from Painting to Ceramics” at the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) brings together 170 pieces, including Picasso's original engravings, drawings, posters, lithographs and photographs, all of which are certified by his heirs.

The exhibition “Warhol’s World - The Icon of Pop Art” by Andy Warhol, one of the leading representatives of Pop Art, will also be open at AKM until Dec 31, showcasing the artist who foresaw all the changing paradigms from the 1960s to the present.

Another exhibition “Leonardo Da Vinci - Renaissance Genius” will also be on display throughout the festival at the Lale Museum. The collection of 230 pieces, including more than 100 models of Da Vinci's inventions, offers a modern and impactful perspective on Da Vinci's legacy, combining the past with current knowledge.

“Genesis,” one of the longest-running projects of world-renowned photographer Sebastiao Salgado, is being displayed in Istanbul for the first time. Opened at the Tophane-i Amire at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, the exhibition consists of 245 black-and-white photographs focused on the climate crisis and disappearing geographies.

Inspired by Frida Kahlo's personal diaries, the “Frida Kahlo’s Diaries” exhibition, which has attracted global attention, is also being presented in Türkiye for the first time within the scope of the Cultural Road Festival. The exhibition, which will run until Oct. 26 at the Grand Pera Historical Building, takes visitors on an artistic journey into Kahlo's inner world.

Refik Anadol’s new project at AKM

The new project by new media artist Refik Anadol, titled “Dreams of Earth: Anatolia,” in which he transforms data into pixels to create different artworks, is also being exhibited at the AKM Grand Theater Foyer Area as part of the festival.

“Mr. Cinema - Türker İnanoğlu Exhibition,” prepared in memory of producer and director Türker İnanoğlu, opened at the Istanbul Cinema Museum. It features personal items of İnanoğlu, wax sculptures of iconic figures of Yeşilçam and behind-the-scenes photographs, telling the transformation story of Yeşilçam in a chronological and biographical format.

In addition, many other exhibitions, ranging from digital to traditional arts, will be available to visit throughout the city as part of the festival.

More than 500 events will be held across over 100 venues as the festival spreads throughout the city, from the Anatolian side to the European side.