Istanbul’s contemporary art scene continues to flourish. New exhibition spaces, galleries, museums, and art fairs continue to emerge. This May, Dirimart opens a second gallery in the Dolapdere area, next to the new museum of the Koc Foundation’s Contemporary Art Collection (expected to open by the end of 2017). Designed by Studio MDA, New York, this museum-like 1000 sqm space, with its outside sculpture garden, will be the largest commercial art space in Istanbul.
Surface and Beyond, the inaugural group exhibition of Dirimart Dolapdere, May 26-July 30 2016, presented well-known international and Turkish contemporary artists. All artworks, be it painting, sculpture, or film, invite the viewer on a visual journey beyond the surface. Whereas the concept of the ‘exposed surface’ is investigated from various perspectives, the works feature political, social, and religious subtexts beneath their surface.
