Contemporary Istanbul founder plans a new fair on the city’s Asian side

Turkey’s largest contemporary art fair, Contemporary Istanbul, is preparing to expand to the Asian side of Istanbul. Its founder and board chairman, Ali Güreli, announced that he has plans to launch a new fair on that side of the city, as The Art Newspaper reports.

The fair’s 21st edition was held last week at Tersane Istanbul — the 500-year-old former Ottoman shipyard on the shore of the Golden Horn — for the third year in a row, with around 70 exhibitors from more than 15 countries. The 6,000-square-meter space with nine-meter ceilings, all on a single floor, gave the fair a smoother and more open experience. The focus of this year’s “Dialogues” program was the Asian market, with participants such as Pearl Lam Projects from Hong Kong, Whitestone Gallery from Tokyo and Seoul, Method Gallery from New Delhi and Silk Art House from Singapore. According to Güreli, cities such as Mumbai, Shenzhen, Beijing and Seoul “are investing extraordinary sums in art and culture with the help of well-known architects”.

The other important announcement is the talks with Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism on a tax reform on art, similar to Italy’s recent cut of the tax on art purchases to 5%. “We need incentives for corporations to buy art,” Güreli said. The fair has also announced its return in 2027, in the same week as the 19th Istanbul Biennial.

Twenty-two galleries debuted at this edition, among them Jessica Silverman from San Francisco, Galeria Karla Osorio from São Paulo, Galerie Georges-Philippe & Nathalie Vallois and Galerie La La Lande from Paris, Galerie Tanit from Beirut, as well as Rast Gallery and Shiva Zahed from Istanbul. Among the established Turkish galleries, Dirimart, Galerie Nev and artSümer stood out, while gallerists praised the “good flow” of the new venue, which eased concerns stemming from economic uncertainties.