The 18^th Contemporary Istanbul art fair (September 28-October 1, 2023), at the historic Tersane Istanbul district on the Golden Horn, featured 67 galleries and eight art initiatives from 22 countries. The event showcased over 1,500 artworks by 591 artists, drawing a diverse lineup of international galleries from South America, Africa, East Asia and the US.

The art fair took place at the historic Ottoman-era Haliç Tersanesi shipyard on the Bosphorus, which provided a unique and evocative context. This shipyard, with its origins dating back to the 15^th century, served the Ottoman Empire. Following years of abandonment, the restoration of many buildings in the Tersane district is now underway, overseen by Tabanlıoğlu Architects, led by Murat Tabanlıoğlu and Melkan Gürsel, who are known for their work on significant city projects such as İstanbul Atatürk Airport and Atatürk Cultural Center. The comprehensive redevelopment of the entire Tersane area is transforming it into a vibrant hub, with marinas, hotels, housing, offices, and leisure areas, a fitting locale for a contemporary art fair.

According to Aslı Ünal, the director of Contemporary Istanbul, Turkey is rapidly asserting itself as a formidable player on the global stage, particularly in this part of the Global South, and is presenting a new and promising market. She believes that as art dealers become more familiar with this potential, their confidence in the Turkish market will grow. However, for dealers new to the country, stepping into uncharted territory comes with its challenges, including navigating unfamiliar cultures. Ünal often takes on the role of an ambassador, extending invitations, hosting visitors, and providing guided tours to help acquaint them with the unique environment.

STIR headed to Contemporary Istanbul and picked out some of the key highlights from the fair.

With a four-decade legacy, the Leila Heller Gallery has achieved global acclaim for its pivotal role in fostering cross-cultural dialogue and collaboration, bridging Western and Middle Eastern, Central, and Southeast Asian artistic communities. Headquartered in Dubai and New York, the gallery made its presence felt by showcasing a curated collection featuring artists such as Melis Buyruk, Alaattin Efe, Naeemeh Kazemi, Maryam Lamei, Arash Nazari, and Behrang Samadzadegan. Buyruk uses porcelain to express how she perceives nature. Her work Habitat (Terra Rossa, 2023) made from porcelain, copper, and fibreglass, was a tribute to living organisms and a celebration of porcelain craftsmanship.

In 2016, Suela J. Cennet founded The Pill gallery in Istanbul's historic peninsula along the Golden Horn with its aesthetic allure of the Bosphorus strait. Cennet envisioned a transcendent connection to fluidity, purification, and transformation, symbolised by its waterfront presence. "The gallery, situated in Balat, Istanbul, serves as a hub for creation and resistance," remarks Cennet. Alca Ağabeyoğlu, the gallery's director, notes a marked increase in young local collectors' engagement. She underscores their commitment to fostering local talent within Istanbul's vibrant art community. One of the artists the gallery featured at the fair was Marion Verboom. Her sculptures blend minimalist aesthetics with hybridisation techniques and a penchant for sampling. Drawing inspiration from architecture, urbanism, mythology and ancestral crafts, Verboom utilises an eclectic array of materials, including concrete, wood, plaster, bronze, clay, aluminium and acrylic resin. Verboom, often described as a builder, has been creating a series of totemic sculptures titled Achronies from 2015, showcased at Contemporary Istanbul. Here traditional architectural columns get patterns and motifs ranging from Classical Greek to Modernist European, accompanied by organic and biographic elements.

Established in 2002 by Hazer Özil, Dirimart, the city's largest commercial art space, remains firmly committed to redefining and rejuvenating the conventional gallery model in Istanbul. At Contemporary Istanbul, Dirimart showcased a compelling array of artworks, including pieces by Sarkis, Ayşe Erkmen, and Shirin Neshat. Notable highlights included a black-and-white abstract artwork by Canan Tolon. Based in the San Francisco Bay area, this Turkish artist's work revolves around the intersection of nature and architecture. Tolon's abstract compositions convey the turbulence and unpredictability engendered by humanity's impact on the natural world. Another highlight was a captivating abstract work by Sarah Morris, who is drawing inspiration from pop art, minimalism, conceptual art and architecture. Her grid-like painting, which was presented at Contemporary Istanbul, was characterised by hard-edged geometries and evoked the physical transfiguration of cities and their psychological effects.

Situated in Istanbul's Dolapdere district, PILEVNELI gallery embodies Murat Pilevneli's enduring vision to usher in a dynamic era in the city's contemporary art landscape, extending its influence to the broader region with a global outlook. The art gallery's mission is to introduce thought-provoking perspectives to Istanbul by welcoming international artists and positioning contemporary Turkish talents within both local and global contexts. The gallery’s booth at Contemporary Istanbul featured AI-generated video artworks created by the renowned Turkish-American artist Refik Anadol.

A significant debut at the fair was the spotlight on photography through CI Photo Focus, a segment overseen by Simone Klein, the former head of the photographs department at Sotheby's Europe and an ex-advisor at the fair Photo London. This section presented the works by 22 artists from eight countries, strategically interspersed among other artworks throughout the fair. One of the examples is the photo series In the Land of Images’ by Amar Kiliç, which depicts women from Northern Mesopotamia, who are the last bearers of the traditional tattoo art, deq.

Marc-Olivier Wahler, the director of Le Musée d’art et d’histoire (MAH) in Geneva and former director of Contemporary Istanbul, had a prominent curatorial role this year overseeing both a sculptural exhibition entitled The Yard and CIF Dialogues, an extensive three-day talks programme organised with IGA ART. The discussions revolved around three primary themes: CI Photo Focus, art in public spaces, and artist residencies.

Participating in the discussion titled "Artist in Residency: Developing Creative Ecosystems" were Carla Sodi, the director of Casa Wabi Artist in Residency; Joëlle Comé, the director of Istituto Svizzero, Italy; Suela J. Cennet, the founder of the Pill gallery; and Vita Liberte, the founder of VV Foundation. The panel delved into the significance of artist residencies for artists and local communities. Speakers highlighted themes such as integrating with local contexts, fostering collaborations among art organisations to establish exchange residency initiatives, enhancing the resilience of artist residencies for the future, and their role in addressing current societal challenges. The discussion concluded with moderator Wahler posing questions about the potential future of artist residency programmes in Istanbul.

The inauguration of The Art Newspaper Türkiye at the fair, suggests that the country is cementing its art ecosystem. The publication, under the ownership of Ali Güreli, the founder of Contemporary Istanbul, will be published 11 times per year. Güreli expressed his satisfaction, stating: "We are pleased to join The Art Newspaper family and lead a new era in Turkish art publishing and cultural discourse."