Floating Islands

“Floating Islands,” Istanbul Modern’s 9th collection exhibition, besides the permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, encompasses other spaces throughout the building.

The permanent exhibition gallery presents a chronological selection from the museum collection that traces the development and transformation of art scene in Türkiye after 1945. Touching on different subjects and approaches, from figurative paintings to installations and videos, the selection reveals interactions between artists. While shedding light on the popular tendencies of the time, each work also informs viewers about the specific style of the artist.

The temporary exhibition gallery features thematic presentations of works mostly created after the 2000s. Underlining common topics that artists from Türkiye and abroad have engaged with, the works demonstrate the affinities and shared sensibilities of production by contemporary artists living in different geographies. The selection highlights artistic responses to themes like city, human and nature while encouraging viewers to recall circumstances and events that impact the present.

“Floating Islands” pays homage to artists’ extraordinary imagination and spheres of influence. It indicates their attachment to a specific place while also emphasizing the impact of their thought and production beyond borders and geographies.

Artists: Kuzgun Acar, Murat Akagündüz, Haluk Akakçe, Erol Akyavaş, Nevin Aladağ, Jennifer Allora & Guillermo Calzadilla, Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin, Halil Altındere, Refik Anadol, Avni Arbaş, Ani Çelik Arevyan, Yüksel Arslan, Tomur Atagök, Kutluğ Ataman, Fikret Atay, Alper Aydın, Georg Baselitz, Bedri Baykam, Aliye Berger, Nurullah Berk, Sabri Berkel, Semiha Berksoy, Albert Bitran, Mohamed Bourouissa, Lee Bul, Cihat Burak, Daniel Buren, Anthony Cragg, Hüseyin Çağlayan, Orhan Cem Çetin, Adnan Çoker, Canan Dağdelen, Richard Deacon, Nejad Melih Devrim, Burhan Doğançay, İpek Duben, Latifa Echakhch, Nezaket Ekici, Abidin Elderoğlu, Olafur Eliasson, Ayşe Erkmen, Devrim Erbil, Tayfun Erdoğmuş, Neş'e Erdok, Erol Eskici, İnci Eviner, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Murat Germen, Tanya Goel, Ara Güler, Mehmet Güleryüz, Neşet Günal, Nedim Günsür, Selma Gürbüz, Altan Gürman, Gözde İlkin, Ahmet Doğu İpek, Balkan Naci İslimyeli, Ferit İşcan, Nuri İyem, Zeki Faik İzer, Cui Jie, İhsan Cemal Karaburçak, Gülsün Karamustafa, Şahin Kaygun, Ali Kazma, William Kentridge, Anselm Kiefer, Nur Koçak, Komet, Azade Köker, Guillermo Kuitca, Alicja Kwade, Maro Michalakakos, Şükran Moral, Yıldız Moran, Aydan Murtezaoğlu, Julian Opie, Mübin Orhon, Kemal Önsoy, İrfan Önürmen, Ferhat Özgür, Serkan Özkaya, Şener Özmen - Erkan Özgen, Ardan Özmenoğlu, Orhan Peker, Burcu Perçin, Seçkin Pirim, Laure Prouvost, Anselm Reyle, Adrián Villar Rojas, Necla Rüzgar, Sarkis, Jennifer Steinkamp, Hale Tenger, Canan Tolon, Seyhun Topuz, Vahit Tuna, TUNCA, Selim Turan, F.Tülin, Ömer Uluç, Burhan Uygur, Richard Wentworth, Nil Yalter, Haegue Yang, Fahrelnissa Zeid, Yılmaz Zenger


Nejad Melih Devrim
Untitled
1978-1986
Gouache on paper
33 x 25 cm
Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı Foundation Collection
Istanbul Museum of Modern Art / Long Term Loan
(detail)