Istanbul Modern presents “Beneath the Same Blue,” a new interpretation of its Collection, on September 8

Istanbul Modern’s 10th collection exhibition, “Beneath the Same Blue,” re-evaluates the evolution of modern and contemporary art in Türkiye from the 1940s to the present through historical and thematic encounters. The exhibition is held in Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı Permanent Exhibition Gallery, supported by the Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı Foundation. It extends beyond the permanent collection gallery across all four floors of the museum, bringing together 230 works by 119 artists from Türkiye and around the world, with 43 works on view for the first time.

Istanbul Modern reinterprets the collection it has built since the museum’s founding through a new curatorial approach in “Beneath the Same Blue.” In addition to the Collection Gallery named after Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı, the exhibition extends into various public spaces throughout the museum.

Curated by the museum’s Artistic Director Çelenk Bafra and Curator Deniz Pehlivaner, with assistant curator Naz Uğurlu Benek and exhibition producer Selen Erkal, the exhibition is titled after the color blue, which connects different times, geographies, and experiences. The exhibition brings together works produced across different periods and contexts on common ground. Evoking seas, horizons, dreams, freedom, distance, and proximity, blue provides an overarching framework for the exhibition.

From the Museum’s Founding to the Present

Oya Eczacıbaşı, Chair of the Board of Istanbul Modern, stated: “The story of the Istanbul Modern Collection began when, after years of effort, the idea of establishing a museum of modern and contemporary art in Istanbul became a reality. In this process, the Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı Foundation Collection became one of the sources that contributed to the development of the museum’s collection. Enriched over the years by works by artists from Türkiye and around the world, our collection has today grown into a comprehensive body of work bringing together artists from different periods and generations. With the opening of “Beneath the Same Blue,” our collection gallery will be named after Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı and supported by the Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı Foundation. For us, this development holds particular significance as a continuation of the relationship that extends from the museum’s founding to the present day.” 

A New Curatorial Perspective on the Collection

Regarding the exhibition’s structure and curatorial scope, Çelenk Bafra, the Artistic Director of Istanbul Modern, notes: “We approach museum collections as intellectual structures that reflect how an institution reads the past, interprets the present, and imagines the future. “Beneath the Same Blue” brings historical continuity and thematic readings into a shared framework, without entirely departing from the chronological narrative of art history. The color blue, from which the exhibition takes its title, provides a conceptual ground for forging new connections across different periods, generations, and geographies.”

Drawing attention to the relationships established across periods and themes, Curator Deniz Pehlivaner states: “Beneath the Same Blue’ invites us to rethink artistic production from the 1940s to the present through issues that remain relevant today. The works brought together under thematic headings in the post-2000 section of the exhibition make visible the diverse perspectives developed by artists from different generations and geographies on today’s world, addressing themes such as war, migration, nature, the body, memory, and the city.”

A Historical and Thematic View of the Collection

“Beneath the Same Blue” addresses the art-historical transformation from the 1940s to the present through two main sections. The first section examines the development of modern and contemporary art in Türkiye from the 1940s to the 2000s within a historical framework. It offers a broad panorama that spans early examples of abstract art, various forms of figurative narrative, and artists' evolving aesthetic approaches alongside social and cultural transformations.

The second section presents a selection of post-2000 artistic works organized by theme. By bringing together works by artists across generations and geographies, this section addresses contemporary issues such as war, migration, memory, nature, the body, identity, the city, and space through diverse artistic practices.

The section titled “War, Destruction, Displacement” focuses on destruction, displacement, migration, authority, and historical trauma, while creating space to reflect on collective memory and relationships with the past. In the “Nature, Motif, Transformation” section, relations among humans, animals, plants, and the environment are examined through the lenses of transformation, ecological disruption, and cultural memory. Under the title “Representation, Narrative, Tradition,” issues of body representation, gender, craft, unseen labor, and identity are examined through works by artists from different generations. Meanwhile, the “City, Space, Layer” section addresses the city as an ever-transforming domain of memory, movement, architecture, and cultural circulation.

An Exhibition Experience Spreading Across Different Spaces of the Museum

“Beneath the Same Blue” extends beyond the Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı Permanent Exhibition Gallery into the four floors of Istanbul Modern. The foyers, the library, and other sections of the museum building become part of the holistic experience. In addition to 9 thematic wall texts in the exhibition area, audio tours and video presentations offer visitors more comprehensive insights into the collection.

Works on View for the First Time

In “Beneath the Same Blue,” more than 40 works from the museum collection are to be exhibited for the first time. Among them are works acquired through the Women Artists Fund, including Fatoş İrwen’s “Rosa,” Yaşam Şaşmazer’s “Taming the Darkness,” Aslı Çavuşoğlu’s “ANNEX,” and Burçak Bingöl’s “Hatayi,” as well as new acquisitions from international artists, such as Antonis Donef, Julie Mehretu, and Claudia Pagès Rabal. 

A Selection Spanning Different Floors of the Museum

Istanbul Modern continues to showcase international sculptures and installations in its outdoor spaces and common areas. On the building’s exterior, alongside Bettina Pousttchi’s “Vertical Highways V02” and Anthony Cragg’s “Runner,” Liam Gillick’s “Hydrodynamica Applied” – originally installed on the former museum building for the 14th Istanbul Biennial – now occupies the sea-facing facade of the new building.

Within the scope of the exhibition, Istanbul Modern Library hosts for the first time works from the collection, namely Halil Altındere’s work from the “Dancing with Taboos” series and Serkan Özkaya’s “Today Could Have Been a Day of Historical Importance (New York Times)”. The foyer of Istanbul Modern Cinema welcomes Claudia Pagès Rabal’s “Five Defense Towers”, acquire after its presentation in the 18th Istanbul Biennial in 2025 whereas Tracey Emin’s “To Hold Your Soul” and Hans Op de Beeck’s “Sleeping Girl” are now on view on the foyer of the 1rst floor together with works by Hüseyin B. Alptekin and Julian Opie. 

Photography Selection from the Collection

The collection exhibition also features works by some of Türkiye's master photographers. Works by Ersin Alok, who brought an interdisciplinary approach to Turkish photographic culture; Ara Güler, who was awarded the title “Master of Leica” in 1962; Yıldız Moran, the first woman photographer in Türkiye to receive academic training in the field; and Sedat Pakay meet the audiences.

Exhibition Catalogue

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue featuring comprehensive illustrations and texts on the artists and artworks, along with essays by the Artistic Director Çelenk Bafra, “Expanding Horizon of the Museum: The Collection,” Curator Deniz Pehlivaner, “Beneath the Same Blue,” and İstanbul Modern Collection Advisory Board member Prof. Dr. Esra Aliçavuşoğlu, “Rethinking the Collection: On Time, Knowledge, and Representation,” all of which further deepen the exhibition’s conceptual framework.

Parallel Educational Programs

Organized by Istanbul Modern’s Education and Social Projects Department in parallel with the exhibition, workshops and educational programs offer new spaces for encounter around the collection's different eras and themes. Developed for various age groups, these programs allow visitors to engage with the displayed works through diverse learning and experiential modes.

Special Selection at the Istanbul Modern Shop

At the Istanbul Modern Shop, a special selection of products inspired by the works in “Beneath the Same Blue” is presented to visitors alongside the exhibition catalogue.

Artists Featured in the Exhibition

Kuzgun Acar, Erdağ Aksel, Erol Akyavaş, Nevin Aladağ, Ersin Alok, Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin, Özlem Altın, Halil Altındere, Ghada Amer, Refik Anadol, Hakkı Anlı, Koray Ariş, Yüksel Arslan, Volkan Aslan, Tomur Atagök, Nancy Atakan, Vahap Avşar, Georg Baselitz, Bedri Baykam, Aliye Berger, Sabri Berkel, Burçak Bingöl, Albert Bitran, Mark Bradford, Lee Bul, Cihat Burak, Tülay Tura Börtecene, Hera Büyüktaşçıyan, CANAN, Hussein Chalayan, Anthony Cragg, Aslı Çavuşoğlu, Fulya Çetin, Adnan Çoker, Richard Deacon, Nejad Melih Devrim, Tiraje Dikmen, Şükriye Dikmen, Abidin Dino, Antonis Donef, Burhan Doğançay, İpek Duben, Âbidin Elderoğlu, Olafur Eliasson, Mandy El-Sayegh, Tracey Emin, Neş’e Erdok, Cevdet Erek, Ayşe Erkmen, Erol Eskici, İnci Eviner, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, İnci Furni, Candeğer Furtun, Attila Galatalı, Leyla Gamsız, Liam Gillick, Guerrilla Girls, Tanya Goel, Deniz Gül, Ara Güler, Bedia Güleryüz, Mehmet Güleryüz, Neşet Günal, Nedim Günsür, Selma Gürbüz, Nilbar Güreş, Altan Gürman, Gözde İlkin, Ahmet Doğu İpek, Fatoş İrwen, Balkan Naci İslimyeli, Nuri İyem, Zeki Faik İzer, Mirak Jamal, Gülsün Karamustafa, William Kentridge, Anselm Kiefer, Komet, Füreya Koral, Azade Köker, Alicja Kwade, Julie Mehretu, Yıldız Moran, Sarah Morris, Mahmoud Obaidi, Füsun Onur, Hans Op de Beeck, Julian Opie, Mübin Orhon, Kemal Önsoy, Serkan Özkaya, Claudia Pagès Rabal, Sedat Pakay, Bettina Pousttchi, Laure Prouvost, Anselm Reyle, Necla Rüzgar, Sarkis, Yaşam Şaşmazer, Nevhiz Tanyeli, Ayça Telgeren, Hale Tenger, Güneş Terkol, Canan Tolon, Seyhun Topuz, F. Tülin, Vahit Tuna, Selim Turan, Ömer Uluç, Elif Uras, Burhan Uygur, Adrián Villar Rojas, Zhan Wang, Richard Wentworth, Nil Yalter, Haegue Yang, Fahrelnissa Zeid, Yılmaz Zenger