The Exploding Art Scene of Istanbul

Istanbul was once the largest city of the medieval period. Once hailed as a trade and commerce hub, the city has undergone several transformations throughout its lifespan. The most recent iteration is into a city of art. Istanbul has one of the largest populations of billionaires, and they are starving for new art. Prominent New York art director Mari Spirito said of Istanbul, “In New York it feels like the best years are behind us, [while] in Istanbul it feels like the best years are yet to come.” Many of these new artists congregate in the old European quarter of Beyoglu. This is a place few of the city’s wealthy will tread after sundown, but the spooky décor and glamour in a state of disrepair provide creative fodder. Like gentrification already happening in parts of the US, the resurgence of art and architecture has brought money into this previously decrepid part of the city. The result is a need for more hotels, more places of commerce and, of course, more art. A shift in the government attitude toward creative minds has also occurred. In a place where writers and journalists spend time in jail for the work they produce, artists get a free pass for the time being. This is not to say there have been no challenges to the art movement, a strongly worded dispatch from the Interior Ministry tried to make the case that art is a form of terrorism. Still, the fact remains that Istanbul is content with this new freedom of expression. Contemporary art, says the wife of the prime minister, is good for business.