Istanbul Paints Itself as a Hub for Modern Art

Turkey is a country famed for its rich, artistic heritage and now, the country is also proving itself to be a platform for the contemporary art market as well. Galleries are springing up throughout the capital attracting the artworld's elite, hungry for a slice of a modern Turkish creation.

Published

3 months ago

Categories

Arts & Society

Topics

Arts & Culture

Places

Turkey, Istanbul

Transcript

SCRIPT: Here at the Sofa Hotel in Istanbul, a contemporary art sale is underway. The highlight of the show is this piece by Nejad Melih Devrim - bought for a cool 650,000 euros by a Turkish collector. Over the last ten years, Turkey's art scene has blossomed and there's plenty of cash to be splashed. SOUNDBITE 1 Kerem Topuz (man)Auctioneer (French, 16 secs): 'There's a very important clientele of small and medium-sized collectors who have the means to buy, so for many pieces in general, there's nothing for less than 30 to 40,000 euros by important artists.' IN FRENCH: "Il y a une clientele très importante de petits, moyens collectionneurs mais qui a les moyens puisque les oeuvres en question en general , il n'y a rien ne dessous de 30 à 40 000 euros pour des signatures importantes." Over the past three years, more than 50 galleries have opened in Istanbul. Financed by patrons of the arts and the heads of leading businesses, the artworks are also auctioned abroad. SOUNDBITE 2 Ali Akay (man)Independent art Auctioneer (French, 6 secs): 'Today, it's banks that mainly finance contemporary art. And bosses have their own collections.' IN FRENCH:Les banques financent énormément l'art contemporain aujourd'hui. Leurs patrons font aussi leurs collection. One such example is 'Istanbul Modern' the only contemporary art museum in Turkey's largest city. Conceived in 2004 by an industrial group, it paved the way for modern art in Turkey. SOUNDBITE 3 Levent Calikoglu (man) Curator (English, 6 secs): 'In the 2000's, Istanbul was discovered by the global art world as it was a new continent from its night life, to its street life, from its museums to its alternative artists collectors, culture and tourism mingle in Istanbul now.' And its artists like Seza Paker who are making the most of Istanbul's modern art renaissance. Having lived for many years in Paris, Seza now spends much of her time on the banks of the Bosphorus, taking inspiration from the city where East meets West. SOUNDBITE 4 Seza Paker (woman) Artist (French, 10 secs): 'Over the past 10 years I've thought all the time about New York, because I lived there in the 80s and 90s and it made me think a lot of Istanbul where there's the same rising energy.' IN FRENCH: 'Je pense tout le temps à New York pendant ces derniers 10 ans, parce que ce que j'ai vécu dans les années 80, 90 à New York me fait rappeler énormément Istanbul où il y a justement cette énergie qui montait.' It's this energy that's breathing life into a new artistic world, placing Istanbul firmly on the map as one of the front-runners of modern art. SHOTLIST: Istanbul, Turkey. February 2013 (Source: AFPTV) -VAR of art sale at The Sofa Hotel in Istanbul -VAR of painting by Nejad Melih Devrim being auctioned SOUNDBITE 1 -VAR inside an art gallery in Istanbul -VAR of visitors looking at art work SOUNDBITE 2 -Ext of Modern Istanbul -VAR inside Modern Istanbul museum : shots of the hall, visitors, art work SOUNDBITE 3 Istanbul, Turkey. February 2013 (Source: Galerist) NO RESALE for non-editorial purposes -MS of Seza Paker at the opening of her last artwork presentation at Galerist Art Gallery. -VAR of Seza Paker, talking and laughing SOUNBITE 4 -VAR piece of artwork in Istanbul Modern -MS of ext of Istanbul Modern