Istanbul's summit of contemporary art

One of Turkey’s most extensive contemporary art events will be organized for the fourth time at the Lütfi Kırdar Congress and Exhibition Hall between Dec. 3 and 6.

The Contemporary Istanbul ’09, or CI’09, fair will include works by hundreds of artists from more than 70 Turkish and foreign galleries.

The event was launched Friday at a press conference held at the Sofa Hotel with the participation of Contemporary Istanbul Executive Board Chairman Ali Güreli, Director Emin Mahir Balcıoğlu and Fikret Önder, the deputy general director of the fair’s main sponsor, Akbank Private Banking.

Discussing the effect of the global crisis on the art sector, Güreli said prices have increased, but purchase and sale volume have not changed. “We have seen recently that contemporary art has gained value,” he said. “The number of collectors is increasing and young collectors are showing interest in the market.”

Noting that 56 percent of the total value of artworks displayed at Contemporary Istanbul 2008 had been sold, Güreli said this year’s goal was to reach 65 to 70 percent. He added that the number of visitors is expected to exceed 50,000 this year.

Most extensive contemporary-art event in Turkey

According to Önder, the event is the most extensive contemporary-art event ever held in Turkey. “It is also one of the best examples of cooperation between the worlds of finance and art,” the Akbank executive said. “We enable our customers to evaluate their earnings via different investment instruments.”

Talking about the innovations seen at this year’s event, Balcıoğlu said CI’09 would bring together artwork from 306 Turkish and foreign artists and 73 galleries, creating opportunities to promote Istanbul’s 12 leading museums and other arts organizations.

“CI’09 has progressed to play a central role in its geography,” Balcıoğlu added. “The event will host artists from many neighboring countries, from Ukraine to Iran, and from Syria to Dubai. Many foreign art lovers and collectors will take the initiative to come to Istanbul in the beginning of December and follow the event.”

No crisis for CI’09

Despite the global crisis, Contemporary Istanbul continues to get richer every year with additional events and is being organized this year with increased interest and participation from galleries. The three-day event will also feature works from 12 art institutes, including the Sabancı Museum, Akbank Sanat, Istanbul Modern Museum, the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, or İKSV, and the Doğançay Museum.

By bringing a different dimension to art events in Turkey, Contemporary Istanbul brings the world’s contemporary art scene to the city while at the same time promoting Istanbul’s culture and art to the world.

Three days of events

CI’09 will kick off Dec. 2, preview day, with an opening performance by Aydın Teker titled “aKabı.” During the course of the event, many interesting projects in the fields of painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video art and digital art will be on display, and mini concerts will be held on-site.

In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the “Sister City” agreement between Istanbul and Berlin, there will also be special events held with the participation of German galleries and collectors, in collaboration with the Berlin Gallery Owners Association. Interesting work by German contemporary artists will be displayed at “Art Forum Berlin” and six art galleries representing the German capital will participate in the event.

CI’09 will not be limited to art from the Western world, as striking work from Russia and the Middle East will be displayed as well. In the “New Horizons” section, which will be hosted each year, art lovers will encounter Syrian contemporary art for the first time this year under the title “Art from Syria.”

One of the most significant projects of Contemporary Istanbul has been the “CI Dialogues” that started in September 2008 as part of the Contemporary Istanbul conference series. During the “Art Forum” that will be held as part of the same series, Robert C. Morgan, Hasan Bülent Kahraman and Başak Şenova will discuss contemporary art.

Contemporary art gets economic return

In addition to foreign collectors, Turkish collectors are also showing more interest in contemporary artwork, resulting in Turkish contemporary artwork becoming more valuable in the international arena. Millions are being paid for the work of some of these artists.

Last year, artwork valued at $12.5 million was displayed at Contemporary Istanbul and sales were strong. This year, when the sales of Turkish contemporary artwork at both Turkish and foreign auctions is considered, it can be seen that the global crisis has not affected art. As a result, CI’09 organizers are expecting intensive demand from collectors. That contemporary artwork is purchased and sold at high prices shows that the culture and art industry has much to gain from this field.

Children and contemporary art

The CI’09 events will not be limited only to adults, as a special area and education program for children will allow them to connect with contemporary art. Children between the ages of 8 and 11 will be able to create their own artwork during the event and will also receive an art-history book prepared by Akbank Private Banking.

During CI’09, news and announcements about the event will be published in 35 magazines and on 10 Web sites from 16 countries, reaching an estimated total of 4 million people, including artists, collectors, gallery owners, curators and critics.

For further information about Contemporary Istanbul, visit www.contemporaryistanbul.com.