The galleries at Contemporary Istanbul experienced hard times due to the heavy rain.
Ali Güreli, Chairman of Contemporary Istanbul, spoke to ArtDog Istanbul about the latest fair, which featured 591 artists and 1,537 works.
According to Semra Dursun’s news from Artdog Turkish edition, Ali Güreli said: ‘‘The extent of the damage caused by the rain is yet to be determined. I have spoken to the galleries and advised them to list any damaged artworks. We are currently photographing and identifying the pieces that are damaged and we will discuss them later. Some of the galleries, like Difo Art, have already re-hung their works, while Taksim Art is in the process of doing so. Although some initiatives have been demoralized and gone home, they may return soon. We have connected the electricity and cleaned the floors.’’
Güreli added: ‘‘It’s an unpleasant story, as water flowed from above, despite the new joinery that was installed. Although it rained for only 45 minutes, water flowed from above – we had experienced something like this last year as well. We assumed this was all over. All new joinery has been installed there. The leakage came from these ceilings. I mean, who made those joinery? How did they accept them? Of course, that is the problem of Tersane Istanbul (the venue)… Right?’’
Güreli said: ‘‘We experienced an unfortunate event which led us to take precautions. As a preventive measure, we have spread tarpaulins over all the ceilings in case of any future incidents. In case of prolonged rainfall and possible damage, we have blocked the area with insulating material. These materials are provided by the shipyard.’’ Güreli confirmed that CI will also cover any damages if needed.
The assessment of damages is still ongoing
Following the rain, some parts of the fair that were being cleaned and assessed for damage have been evacuated. In the T8 section, where Ambidexter, DIFOART, TAKSİM SANAT, den art, KA Atölye, KOLİ Art Space, NOKS Art Space and Kıyı Projects are located, some galleries and initiatives have completely emptied their stands. The T8 section also caught attention for being the first time participating in the fair with contemporary art initiatives from different cities of Anatolia. Damage assessments are still ongoing on the remaining works in the area, where most of the works have been collected after the rain. It’s worth noting that the works, which were removed from the fair and wrapped in bubble wrap to prevent rain damage, were brought back to the area for display. A participant who did not wish to be named stated that the initiatives and galleries that travelled from Ankara left the fair after submitting damage assessment reports to their respective lawyers and the relevant people from the CI team.
Contemporary Istanbul officials reported that the damage assessment conducted following heavy rainfall may not be sufficient to reveal the true extent of the damage.
Officials said it takes at least three days to determine if artworks exposed to rainwater have been damaged. Some galleries have not yet determined if their works have been damaged due to water leaking from the ceiling. They claim that they can only check the works individually to detect any damage.
Insurance problem
Some participating galleries Semra Dursun spoke to at CI, where the works were submerged, stated that artworks were not insured by the fair. They state that the artwork insurance available within the gallery does not cover any negative situations that may happen to the work outside the gallery. They say that they have no information about whether such insurance exists within the scope of the fair.
According to an anonymous gallery official, around five pieces of art were damaged by rainwater in their gallery. Another official expressed concern about the potential for further flooding due to expected heavy rain in Istanbul early on Saturday, September 30th. However, they are also worried that the fair, which is open until October 1st, may struggle with a similar situation on days when it expects the most visitors, resulting in a loss of visitors. A gallery owner said, “This incident is a significant blow to the fair’s reputation.”
Earlier this week, State meteorologists issued a warning as a weather forecast report predicts heavy rainfall to sweep across Türkiye’s provinces in the coming days, following the warning heavy rain hit Istanbul, with streets flooded with rainfall. The Turkish State Meteorological Service’s latest five-day forecast anticipated the onset of heavy rains, including Istanbul, on Sept. 29.
The heavy rain affected the fair, which takes place at the Golden Horn, Tersane Istanbul. The corridors have flooded, and some of the artworks have been damaged. The galleries closed the artworks to protect them from damage.
Meteorologists caution that the heavy rain will extend to the weekend. The fair is to end by Oct 1.
