Between Continents, Between Futures: A Week of Art in Istanbul
By Keshav Anand
Turkey’s sprawling metropolis, Istanbul spans two continents divided and connected by the waters of the Bosphorus. As we cross the bridge to the Asian side en route to Abdülmecid Efendi Mansion—a historic residence nestled in Kuzguncuk that now houses an eclectic art collection—the driver tells me two-thirds of the city’s inhabitants live in Europe, and the rest in Asia. The city has always thrived at the crossroads of worlds, but last week this sense of convergence felt particularly intense with the 20th anniversary of Contemporary Istanbul (24–28 September) and the opening of the 18th Istanbul Biennial (20 September–23 November)—alongside numerous satellite exhibitions that spill into spaces across the city.
Housed in Tersane Istanbul, a redeveloped Ottoman shipyard overlooking the Golden Horn that today comprises various luxury hotels, restaurants and boutiques, this year’s edition of Contemporary Istanbul welcomed over 50 galleries from 16 countries. Alongside a shuttle service courtesy BMW, boats ferried collectors and artists across the Bosphorus, echoing the fair’s promise of passage between cultures. This year’s Focus America section sought to explore the shifting tides across the Atlantic, but it was the works of emerging Turkish artists that gave the fair its distinctive flavour.
Beyond Tersane, the fair’s reach extends to the Peninsula Istanbul, where Peruvian-American artist Grimanesa Amorós unveiled PASSAGE and MARITIME, two monumental light installations. Encircling the hotel’s historic clock tower in glowing red, PASSAGE evokes centuries of human movement across the Bosphorus, while MARITIME suspends a luminous ship-like form in the lobby, undulating like waves at night.
Photography by Keshav Anand
Read the Something Curated article here