Contemporary Istanbul opens today

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey’s largest contemporary art fair, the Contemporary Istanbul, opens today with over 100 galleries from both Turkey and the international art world attending.

The fair will showcase a comprehensive range of contemporary artworks in a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, video and installation until Nov. 22.

At a press conference held Nov. 20, Contemporary Istanbul President Ali Güreli said their goal was to make Istanbul the center of contemporary art.

Interest in the event has increased every year, he said. “It is our most important goal to draw the 5,000 people who lead the world art market to Istanbul. We expect 70,000 visitors this year.”
Güreli said 600 artists would attend the fair with 3,000 works of art, adding that the total value of the works in the fair was $120,000 million.

Also speaking at the conference, Contemporary Istanbul General Coordinator Professor Hasan Bülent Kahraman said 102 contemporary art galleries – 57 from Turkey and 45 from foreign countries – would participate in the fair.

This year’s fair coincides with the launch of Art Istanbul, a city-wide, week-long initiative that sees participating institutions, including museums, and galleries, present a program of exhibition openings and artist talks.