As autumn settles over Turkey, the country’s vibrant art scene comes alive with a wave of new exhibitions, offering both locals and visitors a feast for the senses. From contemporary art spaces in Istanbul to intimate galleries in smaller cities, there’s a wealth of creativity on display. This season, we’ve curated a list of must-see exhibitions, each promising a unique exploration of artistic expression. Whether you’re drawn to cutting-edge installations or timeless masterpieces, these shows are sure to inspire and provoke thought as the crisp fall air fills the galleries.
Georg Baselitz: The Last Decade
Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum (SSM), September 13, 2024- February 2, 2025
The Georg Baselitz: The Last Decade exhibition, featuring the works of renowned German painter and sculptor Georg Baselitz, opened at Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum (SSM) on September 13, 2024, and will be on view until February 2, 2025. Supported by Akbank, the exhibition showcases approximately 100 monumental paintings and sculptures created by Baselitz in the past decade. The exhibition focuses on the artist’s iconic upside-down compositions, addressing themes of aging, the transience of time, and reflections on Germany’s collective memory. Additionally, a selection of Baselitz’s print works is on display at Akbank Sanat.
Solo Botter: Komet
Casa Botter, September 18, 2024-January 12, 2024.
Levent Çalıkoğlu’s curated exhibition, Solo Botter: Komet, is the third installment of the “Botter Exhibitions” series and will be held at Casa Botter from September 18, 2024, to January 12, 2025. This exhibition presents a special selection of early works by the late artist Komet, showcasing his conceptual minimalist paintings characterized by white backgrounds, which he began creating in the late 1960s. Known for intertwining reality with imagination and exploring themes of migration and individual-power dynamics, Komet’s works often feature ambiguous figures resembling characters from tales or myths.
Chiharu Shiota, Between Worlds
Istanbul Modern, September 6, 2024-April 20, 2025.
Chiharu Shiota’s solo exhibition, Between Worlds, takes place at Istanbul Modern from September 6, 2024, to April 20, 2025, celebrating the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Turkey. Focusing on the artist’s feeling of being “in between,” the exhibition draws inspiration from Istanbul’s unique position and its vibrant Karaköy district. Shiota’s installation, featuring a web of red threads and suitcases representing individuals, explores themes of home, belonging, and identity. This immersive experience invites viewers to reflect on their own lives and memories, creating a contemplative space that delves into the intricacies of human connection and existence.
Calculations and Coincidences
Pera Museum, September 19 2024-January 26, 2025.
The exhibition Calculations and Coincidences features works by pioneering algorithmic artists Dóra Maurer, Vera Molnár, and Gizella Rákóczy from the Hungarian National Bank Collection. Running from September 19, 2024, to January 26, 2025, the exhibition highlights Molnár’s significant impact on computer art while exploring how Maurer and Rákóczy integrate algorithms and mathematics into their artistic practices, expanding the boundaries of abstraction.
In Search of Vera Molnár
Pera Museum, September 19, 2024-January 26, 2025.
The exhibition In Search of Vera Molnár, running from September 19, 2024, to January 26, 2025, offers an in-depth exploration of the practice of Vera Molnár, a pioneer of computer art, while showcasing works by contemporary artists influenced by her legacy. Molnár, who began her experimentation with simple algorithms in the 1960s, was one of the first artists to produce digital art at the Sorbonne University. She developed the “Molnárt system,” which incorporated “1% disorder” into her algorithmic creations. The exhibition features her Hommage series, which reinterprets the works of masters like Cézanne, Dürer, Klee, Monet, Mondrian, and Malevich.
Vlastimil Beránek, Gates of Underground
Basilica Cistern, August 1-November 30, 2024.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, in collaboration with İBB Heritage, İBB Culture, and the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Istanbul, presents the exhibition “The Gates of the Underworld – Touching the Space Through Transition and Reflection; Vlastimil Beránek,” which will be open to art enthusiasts from August 1 to November 30, 2024, at the Basilica Cistern. The exhibition features a special selection of crystal sculptures by Czech sculptors Vlastimil Beránek and Jaroslav Prošek, exploring themes of the underground, perception of reality, and reflections.
Ara Güler’s Istanbul and Fishermen
Ara Güler Museum, May 8 – October 27, 2024.
The “Kumkapı Balıkçıları” exhibition, inspired by Ara Güler’s article series “Kumkapı Ermeni Balıkçılarıyla Birlikte,” published in the Jamanak newspaper from May 21-27, 1952, will open at the Ara Güler Museum on May 8, 2024. The exhibition showcases the article and accompanying photographs, shedding light on the now-defunct Küçük Deniz Sokağı and its fishing harbor, the people who worked there, and a unique way of life. At just 24 years old, Ara Güler established himself in photojournalism with this significant photo-reportage, which marked the beginning of his illustrious international career.
