For its 9th edition, Artweeks Istanbul gathers artists and galleries from Türkiye. The event starts on April 20 and lasts until April 28. Originally called Artweeks Akaretler in 2018, it changed its name and venue to Artweeks Istanbul in its 9th edition.
Artweeks Istanbul Project partner and MERKUR Gallery owner Sabiha Kurtulmuş spoke about the event, stating that it started as an art project and not a fair, and quickly developed over time. As a result, the name and venue were changed. The old venue, Akaretler, was a beautiful location but not suitable for exhibiting art due to it being built as old Ottoman houses. Therefore, the new venue, the Ritz Carlton Residences exhibition area, is more appropriate for Artweeks Istanbul.
As the name changed, the event’s mission and vision also changed. Bilgili Holding CEO Sinan Temo says that Artweeks Istanbul needs to move to a wider space in terms of sustainability. The goal is to attract more audiences and provide economic sustainability for galleries. Temo also stated that the event intends to reach a broader international audience with the vision of creating a more stable ground for the art market.
The 9th edition of Artweeks Istanbul will feature Türkiye’s leading art galleries, corporate and private collections, and museum collections. The event will also include the “Storytellers” section, showcasing curatorial projects as part of Bilgili Sanat’s ONE Akaretler 101 project. The project will bring together independent artists’ exhibitions and introduce many principles and innovations with its “Nexus” area and galleries participating from outside Istanbul. The “Storytellers” section will include special exhibitions curated by Beral Madra and Levent Çalıkoğlu.
