Rains hit Contemporary Istanbul

ISTANBUL

The fairground of the 18th Contemporary Istanbul, which brought together galleries, artists and art lovers from all over the world from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, was flooded due to heavy rains on Sept. 30.

Some works of art got damaged due to water flowing from the roof, participants revealed those moments on social media.

With the immediate intervention of the authorities, the works were removed from the flooded area and the water on the ground was also cleared.

Making a statement about the issue, the Contemporary Istanbul organizers said, “Due to the rain that started at 2 p.m. yesterday [Sept. 29], there was a water flow problem from two different spots. This caused water accumulation in the 200-square-meter area of four initiatives, an art institution and two galleries. Our operation team took action to prevent damage to the artworks, which were mainly photographs, and transported them to the warehouses with the gallery and initiative founders. At the same time, the Tersane Istanbul construction team checked the drainage system on the roof and carried out the necessary repairs. The water was evacuated and the area was cleaned within half an hour. Roof insulation control was subsequently carried out.”

“Contemporary Istanbul is an organization that has opened its doors to many international galleries, artists and initiatives for 18 years. We always support our galleries, initiatives and artists. We are extremely sorry for this situation, which was completely beyond our control due to weather conditions. We understand the feelings of initiative and gallery owners and share the same feelings. As the entire team, we stand by our participants and there is no question of any suffering here."