The events you should not miss in Istanbul

Istanbul enters the colourful month of September with a heavy agenda of artistic events. Galleries, art spaces and initiatives, going with the flows of Istanbul Biennial and Artinternational, are ready to host art lovers with important events. Art50.net made a selection among hundreds of events especially for this week (August 31 – September 5)

Read Art50.net’s suggestions before you do a weekly plan.

• Artinternational
• The 14th Istanbul Biennial
• “Louise Bourgeois: Larger Than Life”, September 1-November 8, Akbank Sanat, Beyoğlu:

  

  Known as the “Spider Woman”, Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) is one of the leading female artists of the 20th century with a prominent place in contemporary art history. Curated by Hasan Bülent Kahraman the exhibition features fifty four works by the artist. As a strong influence on the art scene of her lifetime, the selection  is based on her artistic persona, her attitude towards the concept of memory and her approach to gender.

• “Zero: Countdown to the Future”, September 2-January 10, Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Emirgan:

  

  The event organized by S.Ü. Sakıp Sabancı Museum and Akbank Sanat is very ambitious. The exhibition introducing the ZERO art movement, one of the leading artistic networks of the 20th century to the Istanbul audience brings together works by the movement’s leading figures and their inspiring predecessors under the curatorship of Mattijs Visser, the Founding Director of ZERO foundation. The exhibition’s layout is shaped around the movement’s main themes such as “Time”, Space”, “Structure”, “Light”, “Fire”, “Color”, “Shadow” and “Vibration”, accompanied by various side events including symposia, conferences and film screenings.

• Server Demirtaş, ”Machines from Bygone Times”, September 3-October 17, Bozlu Art Project, Teşvikiye: Widely recognized with his video art in 2000s, Demirtaş is better known with his kinetic sculpture since 2010. Under the curatorship of Özlem İnay Erten, the exhibition features Demirtaş’s latest kinetic sculpture pieces. Providing an ironic approach to human body and behavior through the use of machine aesthetics and questioning the art-technology relationship, the artist assembles his works by bringing together parts including bicycle brakes and car wipers.

  

• “Images of Our Time: Works from the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo”, September 4 – November 1 and “Bring Your Own Beamer”, September 4, 7-11 pm, Pera Museum, Tepebaşı:

  

  Pera Museum welcomes the new season with an extraordinary exhibition of works by the bachelor and graduate students and alumni of the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo. The exhibition offering a glimpse into the Bosnian –Herzegovinian contemporary art as well as of the young population’s attitude towards their country’s history and social issues is curated by Prof. Aida Abadzic Hodzic from Sarajevo University Department of Philosopy. On the other hand, the museum’s film department presents a different platform of visibility for emerging artists. As a one-night screening of works by young video artists under the curatorship of Maybe Art Projects, “Bring Your Own Beamer” was first organized last year and it will bring together works by artists including Lara Kamhi, Berkay Tuncay and Zafer Akşit in the pleasant atmosphere of PeraCafe.

• Filippo Riniolo, “Invisible Hand”, September 4-9, maumau, Beyoğlu:

  

  The exhibition organized by maumau, an initiative providing Turkish and international artists and authors with temporary studio space, features works by the young artist Riniolo realized with the historic “egg tempera” technique and loyal to Byzantine iconography. Departing from a quote by the famous Italian critique Pier Paolo Pasolini, Riniolo underlines the deidentificating power of religion and capitalism, tracing the concept of the “invisible hand” dominating the society.

• “Imagination and Orchestration”, September 5-20, Bauart Gallery, Galata: Were you aware that there are various artist residency programmes in Istanbul, especially organized by the consulates and cultural centers of foreign countries? The exhibition titled “Imagination and Orhcestration is designed as a side event of the 14th Istanbul Biennial and introduces the structure of the residency programs for foreign artists as well as the works created by the resident artists. Participating artists: Marianna Christofides (Cologne), Angela Fensch (Berlin), Matthias Grotevent (Düsseldorf), Nicole Hoesli (Zurich), Franziska Klotz & Michael Wutz (Berlin), Julia Lazarus (Berlin), G.R.A.M. (Vienna).

  

• “What Lies Beneath” and “Desire”, September 5-February 21, Borusan Contemporary, Baltalimanı:

  

  Perili Köşk hosts two interesting exhibitions. Curated by the prominent new media art specialist Christiane Paul, “What Lies Beneath” features installations by Krzysztof Wodiczko, Michal Rovner and Zimoun reflecting the atmosphere of insecurity and estrangement in today’s world. On the other hand, “Desire” curated by Necmi Sönmez will offer a new interpretation to the works in the Borusan collection by artists such as Rick Silva, Lale Delibaş, Martin Walde and Ola Kolehmainen through literary works including poetry and anecdotes.

• “Tarlabaşı Contemporary”, September 5-13, Pasaj Tarlabaşı:

  

  The exhibition is organized with the support of the Swedish Institute and features the documentation of the work by the artistic duo Local A. (Jenny Berntsson & Felice Hapetzeder), realized in collaboration with the Tarlabaşı Community Center. Via results from various workshops and meetings with the local children and residents it aims at offering a new approach to Tarlabaşı’s sociocultural texture composed of a diverse range of immigrants. The organizer, the independent artistic initiative PASAJist stands out with the emphasis it places on collective works and interactive projects.

* Images are taken from the  official websites and social media announcements of the institutions and events involved.