The edifice features an area of 110,000 square feet, sweeping vistas of the urban landscape, and an exterior that sparkles akin to the glistening scales of a fish.
The Istanbul Modern of Turkey is set to unveil its fresh establishment this week after a construction period of five years. The newly designed building, by the distinguished architect and recipient of the Pritzker Prize, Renzo Piano, comprises a vast space of 110,000 square feet. It features dedicated areas for both temporary and permanent exhibitions, educational initiatives, movie projections, and a café. The location chosen for this striking edifice is a historical zone situated on Istanbul’s Karaköy waterfront, at the juncture of the Bosphorus Strait and Golden Horn estuary. This locale marks the site where the museum’s original headquarters was erected in 2004.
The building’s design is an allusion to the area’s extensive past as a harbor that facilitated travel between Asia and Europe. The silhouette of the structure imitates ships of varying sizes, while the façade is composed of countless aluminum panels that glimmer in the light resembling fish scales.
The new museum’s lower level is enclosed with glass, offering a glimpse of two of the institution’s most valued works—one ancient and the other contemporary. The first one is Richard Wentworth’s False Ceiling (2005), a long-standing feature of Istanbul Modern’s previous building, and the second is Your unexpected journey (2021), a three-part installation exclusive to the museum, crafted by Olafur Eliasson, specifically for the new location.
At the summit of the structure, there is a terrace that overlooks a reflecting pool and provides an extensive view of Istanbul and its waterways. “The new construction’s design, which is both accessible and transparent, embodies the museum’s philosophy: a diverse experience that offers exhibitions and programs to the public inspired by the artistic variety of contemporary times,” according to a museum statement.
Istanbul Modern’s fresh quarters will be inaugurated with five new exhibitions, and each of them will be accompanied by a catalog. Among these is “Always Here,” a display of 17 artworks created by female artists procured by the museum since 2016. Additionally, there is “Floating Islands,” an exhibition of 280 works, many of which will be showcased for the first time, which is promoted as the most extensive collection exhibition of the Modern to date.
The collection includes works by Turkish artists, such as Ayşe Erkmen, Nil Yalter, and Fahrelnissa Zeid, as well as by international figures, such as Mark Bradford, Alicja Kwade, and Haegue Yang. Also, a recently commissioned installation by Refik Anadol is placed elsewhere in the building, utilizing environmental data obtained from the Bosphorus.
Istanbul Modern, which has long been regarded as Turkey’s foremost museum of contemporary art, ceased operations at its former site in 2018. Meanwhile, construction of its new building began, and the museum relocated to the Union Française building in the vicinity.
The initiative is part of the Galata Port development project, which has a budget of $1.8 billion and is aimed at rejuvenating cultural and historical locations in Istanbul’s Karaköy neighborhood. Other new amenities at the site include restaurants, hotels, and a cruise ship terminal.