Contemporary Istanbul to be held in November

ISTANBUL

The international contemporary art fair Contemporary Istanbul (CI) will be organized between Nov. 3 and 6 this year at the Lütfi Kırdar Rumeli Rumelia Hall and the Istanbul Congress Center. 

At a press conference on May 17, CI Executive Board President Ali Güreli provided information about the 11th edition of the fair, noting that they had come together with worldwide art directors at 14 events over six months to help prepare for the fair. 

He said the fair, which has become a global brand, was promoting Turkey and its region to the world via art while also revealing art’s unifying power. “Also, CI has invited a selected group to Turkey in an attempt to solve the tourism problem in Turkey,” he added. 

Güreli said they had invited prominent names of contemporary art to the fair.

“A popular project of the fair, ‘Collectors’ Choice’ will bring together for the first time more than 100 artworks from Turkey’s leading 60 contemporary art collections. Within the scope of the project, artwork from the collections of Turkey’s leading collectors such as Leyla Alaton, Hakan Çarmıklı Gülin, Emre Dökmeci, Erol Tabanca, Ömer and Arzu Sabancı, Aylin-Özcan Tahincioğlu, Mustafa Taviloğlu and Agah Uğur will be displayed on a field of more than 1,500 square meters,” he said.

CI Design, which will draw art and design galleries as guests, will meet art lovers this year under the directorship of Susan McMurrain. CI Design will focus on furniture, jewelry and functional art objects that are specially produced by artists, designers and architects. 

The event will be simultaneously organized alongside the third Istanbul Design Biennial to be held between Oct. 22 and Dec. 4.