Istanbul. Passion, Joy, Fury

The exhibition Istanbul. Passion, Joy, Fury presents the work of 45 artists, architects and intellectuals through major works, new artistic projects and audio-visual testimony in multiplicity of idioms and expressions.

Starting out with reflections on key issues spotlighted in the Gezi Park protests in 2013, the exhibition, thriving from examinations of the current mutations of the urban, cultural and social reality in Istanbul and their impacts on creative practices, tackles existential questions that apply to all of us: Are we ready for change? Is it right to fight? Is it really necessary to work so hard? Is it possible for people to live together in peace? And above all, can we still hope for a better tomorrow? Artists, architects and intellectuals have replied to all of these questions through their work, developing a solid critical commitment, of which the exhibition presents an overview, mapping the various experiences that have evolved in the city and thanks to the city: artistic, architectural, cinematic and critical projects.

The exhibition, resulted from a long-term research inspired by conversations with the local creative community of Istanbul, explores the urban changes of the city as the major condition for creative practices. It pays particular attention to the issues of gentrification, ecological crisis and informal and self-organization initiatives, etc, highlighting the political conflicts and the resistance with works that deal with issues associated with justice, violence and gender; it reviews the innovative models of production associated with consumerism and the challenges of the working class, underlines urgent geopolitical issues such as those of minorities and refugees and lastly proposes new solutions, joyous and proactive petitions and strategies for reconstruction because it is vital that we never lose hope.