Taking place at Tersane Istanbul from 23–27 September 2026 with Akbank as its main partner, the 21st edition of Contemporary Istanbul brings together more than 70 galleries from 24 countries.
With the number of participating galleries increasing by more than 40% compared to 2025, the fair once again transforms Istanbul into one of the most important meeting points for the international art world this autumn. Bringing together galleries, artists, collectors and art professionals from different geographies, the fair creates a platform for new encounters and collaborations among the actors of the global art ecosystem.
Taking place with Tersane Istanbul as its Cultural Destination Partner and BMW, distributed in Türkiye by Borusan Otomotiv, as its co-partner, CI21 continues to be one of the most important events on Istanbul’s cultural calendar with its international gallery programme, art projects, talks and special events.
One of the strongest indicators of the fair’s growing international appeal is that one quarter of the participating galleries will be taking part in Contemporary Istanbul for the first time. Seventeen new galleries from leading art centres across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and North America are bringing new perspectives and strong international diversity to this year’s edition.
First-Time Participating Galleries
Galeria Francisco Fino (Lisbon)
Galeria Karla Osorio (São Paulo)
Galerie Diego Escobar (Marseille)
Galerie La La Lande (Paris)
Galerie Tanit (Munich, Beirut)
Galerie Thomas Schulte (Berlin)
Galerie Vallois (Paris)
Michel Rein (Paris, Brussels)
Pearl Lam Projects (Hong Kong, Shanghai)
Takato Kano Gallery (Tokyo)
Whitestone Gallery (Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing, Tokyo, Karuizawa, Singapore, Seoul)
Villa Magdalena (Madrid)
Artiscape (Dubai, Istanbul)
Rast Gallery (Istanbul)
Rıdvan Kuday (Diyarbakır)
Method Gallery (New Delhi)
Shiva Zahed (Tehran, Istanbul)
Among these new participants, Pearl Lam Projects, Takato Kano Gallery and Whitestone Galleryare also among the galleries featured within Focus: Asia, Contemporary Istanbul’s regional focus for this year.
New Grounds
New Grounds, CI21’s section dedicated to providing visibility for young galleries and a new generation of artists, will take its place in the 2026 edition.
Friedrichs Pontone (New York)
Ka (Ankara)
Karpuchina Gallery (Prague)
Method Gallery (New Delhi)
Rast Gallery (Istanbul)
Shiva Zahed (Tehran, Istanbul)
Contemporary Istanbul will host a monumental installation by Bahraini artist Rashid Al Khalifa, titled Inhabited Crate – Multicolored, as part of its 21st edition. Curated by Marc-Olivier Wahler, Director of the Geneva Museum of Art and History, the work brings together contemporary art and Istanbul’s industrial and maritime heritage.
Returning Participating Galleries
Andrea Rehder Arte Contemporanea (São Paulo)
Anna Laudel (Istanbul, Ankara, Düsseldorf)
Art On Istanbul (Istanbul)
Art Sümer (Istanbul)
AWC Contemporary (Dubai)
Bozlu Art (Istanbul)
Buchmann Galerie (Berlin)
Büro Sarıgedik (Istanbul)
DG Art Gallery (Istanbul, Bodrum)
Faar Gallery (Istanbul, London)
Ferda Art Platform (Istanbul)
Galeri Nev İstanbul (Istanbul)
Galeri Siyah Beyaz (Ankara)
Galeri 77 (Istanbul)
Galeria Joan Gaspar (Barcelona)
Galerie Esther Woerdehoff (Paris)
Galerija Fotografija (Ljubljana)
Gillian Jason Gallery (London)
JD Malat Gallery (London, Dubai)
Leila Heller Gallery (New York, Dubai)
Mark Hachem Gallery (Paris, Beirut)
Martch Art Project (Istanbul)
Muse Contemporary (Istanbul)
Pedro Cera (Lisbon, Madrid)
PG Art Gallery (Istanbul)
Pi Artworks (Istanbul, London)
Piramid Sanat (Istanbul)
Pontone (London)
Revolver Galerie (Buenos Aires, Houston)
Ruzy Gallery (Istanbul)
Sevil Dolmacı (Istanbul, Dubai, Paris)
Simbart Projects (Istanbul)
SMAC Gallery (Cape Town)
Villa del Arte Galleries (Barcelona, Istanbul)
Vision Art Platform (Istanbul)
x-ist (Istanbul)
Zilberman (Istanbul, Berlin)
CIF DIALOGUES: The Long and Winding Road
Organised by the Contemporary Istanbul Foundation, CIF Dialogues continues to shape the fair’s intellectual programme with a series of talks bringing together leading figures from the fields of contemporary art, architecture and cultural production. This year, under the title “The Long and Winding Road,” the programme will explore the changing dynamics of today’s art world through the historical and cultural interactions between East and West.
Speakers featured in CIF Dialogues taking place on September 23–24:
Kulapat Yantrasast – Founder and Creative Director of WHY Architecture
Naz Cuguoğlu – Associate Curator at the Asian Art Museum
Akiko Miki – Director of the Naoshima New Museum of Art and International Art Director of Benesse Art Site Naoshima
Felix Kwok – former Head of Modern Art at Sotheby’s Asia; Marc Choi
Marc Choi – Contemporary Istanbul Ambassador to South Korea and Collector
Gülru Arvas – Architect and Former Co-Chair of Tate Young Patrons
Marc-Olivier Wahler – Director of the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Genève
Tim Schneider – Founder of The Gray Market
CIF BRIDGES
The digital publishing series CIF Bridges, presented by the Contemporary Istanbul Foundation, extends the dialogue that begins during the fair throughout the year, bringing artists, curators, collectors and cultural professionals together online.
Broadcast live via the Contemporary Istanbul Instagram account, CIF Bridges has featured international figures including Nick Buckley Wood, Director of Private Sales at Sotheby’s Asia; Felix Kwok, Chief Creative Officer of Shenzhen Design Bay; and architect Melike Altınışık, Founder of Melike Altınışık Architecture (MAA). The programme is moderated by Sarp Kerem Yavuz, CIF Art Director.
Contemporary Istanbul 21st Edition Dates
23 September 2026: VIP Preview
24–27 September 2026: General Admission
Venue: Tersane Istanbul