Modern Experiences

Until now, Istanbul Modern,which is located on the European coast of Bosphorus in Karakoy district. has adopted an art historical standpoint in presenting to its audiences the development of Turkish visual arts over the last 100 years; as it moves into its third year, the museum embraces a totally new approach with the exhibition "Modern Experiences".

FROM OTTOMAN EMPIRE TO TURKISH REPUBLIC

In this exhibition a different approach has been taken that stresses the chronological development of painting in the Ottoman Empire and Turkish Republic from the nineteenth century until the end of the 1940s shown in the light of changing social and political contexts.

In the scope of these paintings, it could never claim to present a complete history of these complex and challenging times but, rather, it creates a framework within which different aspects, tendencies and marks of modernity can be seen as they begin to appear within Ottoman and Turkish art.

With the benefit of hindsight, these have been tracked and measured in a contemporary context and also against the conditions of the times in which the works were made.

ABSTRACTION AND INTERPRETATION

This exhibition focuses on the Turkish experience of abstract art, which began in the 1950s, as well as unique interpretations of figure painting; it also transmits to the viewers’ imagination the symbolic images of modernization.

INDIVIDUAL IMPRESSIONS

Allocating a room to each artist, "Individual Impressions" aims to indicate the personal connections these individuals have established with modernity and, without making reference to movements or thematic similarities, expose the alternative narratives that conform to the artists’ sensibilities and distinct stylistic expressions. By emphasizing the similarities and differences between modernist and contemporary practices, the selected works enables us to follow the transformation of contemporary art through its practitioners.

The "Self-Portrait" gallery set in a smaller section of the exhibition hall offers a psychological insight into their personal experiences.

Source: http://www.istanbulmodern.org