Artists’ Film International 2025

Artists’ Film International: Dream States

December 23, 26 and 30, 2025 & January 2, 6, 9, 13 and 16, 2026

Istanbul Modern Auditorium

Featuring videos, animations, and short films by artists from diverse geographies, Artists’ Film International will be presented to the public for the first time in Istanbul Modern’s new building, beginning in December 2025. Screened on designated days and times in the museum auditorium, which also hosts Istanbul Modern Cinema programs, the selection reflects various interpretations of the theme “Dream States.” Under this title, the program explores the transformative power of dreaming as a space for reflecting on the past and imagining alternative futures. Exploring the dynamic relationship between the personal and the political, “Dream States” presents a range of artistic propositions on how this interaction can inspire change.

At the invitation of Istanbul Modern, “The Pond” (2023), by the artist duo Ahmet Rüstem Ekici and Hakan Sorar, whose works are also included in the Istanbul Modern Collection, is being shown both at the museum and at the program’s 17 international partners. The selection features a broad range of productions, from computer-generated imagery created with artificial intelligence to analog footage, and from videos to animations that transform archival materials. Spanning wildlife, natural history museums, symbolic characters, historical realities, art history, and the transformation of traditions, the program bears witness to the artists’ unique perspectives. Across the works, dystopian scenes, narratives alluding to mythology, memories, and imagined futures unfold like the fragments of a shared dream.

Artists: Abdul Hamid Mandgar (CCAA in EXiLe, Frankfurt, Germany); Ahmet Rüstem Ekici & Hakan Sorar (Istanbul Modern, Türkiye); Anca Benera & Arnold Estefan (n.b.k, Berlin, Germany); Anette Gellein (Tromsø Kunstforening,Tromsø, Norway); Babu Eshwar Prasad (Project 88, Mumbai, India); Cocoy Lumbao (MCAD, Manila, Philippines); Dalia Al Kury (mmag foundation, Amman, Jordan); Elinor O'Donovan (Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, Ireland); Heesoo Kwon (LACE, Los Angeles, USA); Isabelle Nouzha (argos centre for audiovisual arts, Brussels, Belgium); Kialy Tihngang (Tramway, Glasgow, Scotland); Melisa Zulberti (Fundación Proa, Buenos Aires, Argentina); Mykolas Valantinas (CAC, Vilnius, Lithuania); Raffaela Naldi Rossano (GAMeC, Bergamo, Iraly); Sanja Anđelković (Cultural Centre of Belgrade, Serbia) and Sin Wai Kin (Forma & Southwark Park Galleries, London, UK).

Program / Content: Nilay Dursun, Ümit Mesci

About Ahmet Rüstem Ekici and Hakan Sorar:

Artist duo Ahmet Rüstem Ekici and Hakan Sorar combine their backgrounds in interior architecture and engineering with art and technology. Continuing their exploration on the body politics, architecture, and optical perception, the duo interprets the stories conveyed to the present day by archaeological finds through digital visualization techniques. In their collaborative works, they delve deeply into the relationships between space and the body, questioning the boundaries between the digital and physical worlds. They aim to offer viewers a framework of intellectual and conceptual depth through the possibilities offered by technological advancements. The artists’ works have been presented to audiences in Türkiye at international cultural and artistic institutions and platforms, including Istanbul Modern, Mardin Biennial, Sónar +D, SACO Biennial (Chile), YARAT Contemporary (Azerbaijan), and Thessaloniki Queer Arts Festival (Greece).

About the video:
"The Pond" (2023) explores transformation, memory, and the human-nature relationship. This AI-generated film draws inspiration from Seyitömer votive vessels, dating back 5,000 years, and the frogs migrating to Palazoğlu Pond. Constructing a world where natural cycles intertwine with cultural motifs, the work invites the viewer to become part of a borderless reality, somewhere between fiction and documentary. 

Ahmet Rüstem Ekici and Hakan Sorar
The Pond, 2023
AI-generated video and audio, Full HD | 3' 25"

Institutions participating in Artists’ Film International in 2025:

argos centre for audiovisual arts, Brussels, Belgium

Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan in eXiLe e.V. (CCAA in EXiLe), Frankfurt, Germany

Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, Ireland

Cultural Centre of Belgrade, Serbia

Forma, London, United Kingdom

Fundación Proa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo (GAMeC), Bergamo, Italy

Istanbul Modern, Türkiye

Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), Los Angeles, USA

Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD), Manila, Philippines

mmag foundation, Amman, Jordan

Project 88, Mumbai, India

Sapieha Palace, branch of the Contemporary Art Centre (CAC), Vilnius, Lithuania

Southwark Park Galleries, London, United Kingdom

Tramway, Glasgow, Scotland

Tromsø Kunstforening, Norway

Video-Forum of Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k), Berlin, Germany

Image:
Ahmet Rüstem Ekici and Hakan Sorar, The Pond, 2023 
AI-generated video and audio
Full HD, 3’ 25’