Artsy’s Guide to Contemporary Istanbul 2014
Contemporary Istanbul 2014, now in its 9th year, celebrates Turkish art alongside other exciting, forward-thinking endeavors. Ali Güreli, the fair’s Chairman, says: “We are not for yesterday, not even for today—but for tomorrow.” With a main exhibition section of over 100 galleries from 23 countries around the world, CI ’14 will also incorporate programs dedicated to new media art, site-specific installation projects, East Asian art, and exclusive editions.
Where? When? How?
Contemporary Istanbul will be open to the public Nov. 13–16 at the Istanbul Congress Center (ICC) and Istanbul Convention & Exhibition Centre (ICEC), with daily hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are priced at 20 TL ($8.95 USD) for general admission and 12 TL (approx. $5.40 USD) for students.
What to See
Contemporary Istanbul will feature a mix of established and emerging galleries, art initiatives, and institutions, together totalling 108 exhibitors showing over 500 international artists. Among those participating are Galerie Lelong, Andipa Gallery, art ON Istanbul, Rampa, Pi Artworks, Whitechapel Gallery, Galeri Zilberman, Kashya Hildebrand, Mark Hachem Gallery, Yellow Peril Gallery, Galerist, Mixer, Dirimart, and Opera Gallery..
New Horizons
Each year, the fair dedicates the New Horizons section, hosted in the ICC, to a different geographic region; this year’s edition of CI will spotlight China and its neighboring countries. An exhibition of works from the collection of Dr. Michael I. Jacobs, titled “Now You See,” will include video art from 10 young Chinese artists, ranging from animation to multi-screen projections.
Plugin Istanbul
Now in its second year, the Plugin New Media section showcases the latest in digital art, with a special focus in 2014 on sound—be it in purely sound art works, videos, interactive light installations, or robotic creations. Plugin is a platform for not just galleries to exhibit their artists’ work, but also for design, architecture, and graphic arts studios to present their own projects. A series of talks fully dedicated to new media will take place throughout the fair’s run, a full schedule of which is listed below.
Thursday, Nov. 13
2:00 p.m. Politics and New Media
4:00 p.m. Architecture and New Media
Friday, Nov. 14
2:00 p.m. Artist Talk: Candaş Şişman
3:30 p.m. Artist Talk: Ozan Türkkan
5:00 p.m. Artist Talk: Simon Heijdens
Saturday, Nov. 15
2:00 p.m. Curating New Media
4:00 p.m. Preserving New Media
Sunday, Nov. 16
2:00 p.m. Collecting New Media
4:00 p.m. Writing on New Media
CI 90 Minute Shows
Curated by Dr. Marcus Graf, this new addition to the fair brings a different artist into a designated 50-square-meter space every 90 minutes to assemble, present, discuss, and then dismantle a site-specific project. Over the course of the fair, 22 artists will rotate through the hour and a half segments, creating time- and site-specific, or process-oriented installations.
The schedule of “shows” is as follows:
Wednesday, Nov. 12
3 p.m. Ali Emir Tapan
4:45 p.m. Mehmet Ali Uysal
6:15 p.m. Charlie Stein
Thursday, Nov. 13
1:00 p.m. Lukas Ulmi
2:45 p.m. Fani Zguro
4:15 p.m. Ansen
6:00 p.m. Gentian Shkurti
Friday, Nov. 14
1:00 p.m. island6
2:45 p.m. Orhan Cem Çetin
4:15 p.m. Gallery on the Move (Anri Sala, Dora Garcia, Kajsa Dahlberg, Pipilotti Rist)
6:00 p.m. Beyli Peter
Saturday, Nov. 15
1:00 p.m. Voldemars Johansons
2:45 p.m. Özlem Günyol & Mustafa Kunt
4:15 p.m. İsmail Necmi
6:00 p.m. Kerem Ozan Bayraktar
Sunday, Nov. 16
1:00 p.m. Buğra Erol
2:45 p.m. İrfan Önürmen
4:15 p.m. Fırat Engin
6:00 p.m. Mariam Natroshvili & Detu Jintcharadze
CI Dialogues
Titled “The Other Art: Alternatives, Choices, Options,” CI’s talk series will focus on discussing the future of art and collecting, particularly in regards to technology. From Friday through Sunday, 14 sessions will cover topics such as developing a market for New Media art, the future of architecture, and how to exhibit, curate and collect sound art. A complete schedule of talks and moderators is available on the fair’s website
CI Editions
A new initiative at the fair, CI Editions is dedicated to the promotion, production, preservation, and study of editions and multiples. A specially selected group of artists, including several artists featured in the 90 Minute Shows, have created exclusive series, which will be shown for the first time at the fair.
