‘Panorama: Dreams and places’ exhibition opens at Istanbul Modern

ISTANBUL

Istanbul Modern has inaugurated “Panorama: Dreams and Places,” a major exhibition focusing on contemporary photography and lens-based art in Türkiye.

According to the museum, the show brings together a comprehensive selection of works produced since the 2010s by 18 artists from different generations.

The exhibition features a rich variety of media, including site-specific installations, moving images, AI-driven works and archival materials.

Participating artists include Larissa Araz, İlgen Arzık, Emre Baykal, Silva Bingaz, Hasan Deniz, Umut Erbaş, Cem Ersavcı, Ece Gökalp, Cemre Yeşil Gönenli, Ege Kanar, Zeynep Kayan, Metehan Özcan, Yusuf Sevinçli, İrem Sözen, Selim Süme, Kerem Uzel, Begüm Yamanlar and Cansu Yıldıran.

The exhibition is curated by Istanbul Modern’s Artistic Director Çelenk Bafra and Photography Curator Demet Yıldız Dinçer, with additional curatorial support from Selen Erkal and Şevval Yürüten.

Many of the artists have created new works specifically for the exhibition, tailored to the museum’s spaces.

A key feature of the exhibition is the “Hayal Kitaplığı,” which combines exhibition catalogues and selected photography books to deepen visitors’ engagement with the conceptual framework. A reading area overlooking the Bosphorus has been designed as a meeting point for audiences.

Istanbul Modern Board Chair Oya Eczacıbaşı emphasized the exhibition’s significance. “’Panorama: Dreams and Places’ is the first group exhibition in the photography section of our new museum building. The works produced by artists from different generations over the last 15 years respond to social and cultural transformations in today’s world, offering visitors spaces to pause and reflect.”

Bafra also noted that “Panorama” is intended as the overarching title for future research-oriented gorup exhibitions exploring various sub-themes.

The exhibition aims to provide a panoramic view of photography and lens-based production in Türkiye over the past decade, examining evolving modes of imagining, relating to space and rethinking reality.

Dinçer added that the exhibition challenges the boundaries of statis imagery, while reflecting global transformations in lens-based art grounded in the artists’ experiences.

A new lecture series, “Panorama Talks,” will run concurrently with the exhibit on giving artists and curators a platform to discuss their creative and curatorial processes.

The exhibition will remain on view at Istanbul Modern until Oct. 18.