Roundup from Contemporary Istanbul 2019
By Lesley Ann Gray
Contemporary Istanbul 2019 included a sector called Plugin. Among the projects there was The Skin
Artists, curators, gallerists, and other cultural workers flocked to Istanbul for a slew of events in the city, including the opening of the 16th Istanbul Biennial on September 14, the September 13 relaunch of nonprofit platform Arter in its new 17,000-square-meter home, a flurry of gallery openings, and the 14th edition of Contemporary Istanbul (CI) art fair (September 12–15). Newly elected mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu—who has inspired renewed hope among local creatives and businessmen—visited the fair on September 12, and discussed his plans to put arts and culture at the forefront of Istanbul’s development. There is much to anticipate, with nine museums and an opera house scheduled to open over the next three years.
