Exhibitions in Istanbul
January 2027
January at a glance: 0 exhibitions opening, 2 closing, and 11 more on view across the city.
Closing in January
- Tayfun Erdoğmuş: Atlas 1/137.0359993 Jan 2027
Arter
First institutional solo show in Turkey of Tayfun Erdoğmuş, whose work uses plants, minerals and handmade papers. Curated by Eda Berkmen.
Frank Bowling: Creation and Destruction31 Jan 2027Pera Museum
Frank Bowling's paintings alongside works by Francis Bacon and Victor Willing, including the Map series and a 2026 work, shown partly for the first time in Istanbul.
Also on through January
- National Industry, Global Reputationto 7 Feb 2027
Rahmi M. Koç Museum
Koç Group's production history from 1926 to 2026 alongside Turkey's industrialisation, told with archives, photographs and a diorama.
No Admittance Except on Businessto 14 Feb 2027SALT GalataFree
Works by belit sağ, Dilşad Aladağ, Merve Bedir and others examine workplaces and production, from the worker's body to the factory and global networks.
Out of the archive: Industrial Architecture in Turkeyto 14 Feb 2027SALT GalataFree
Factories by 20th-century Turkish architects, from 1930s state textile mills to private plants, drawn from the Salt Research archives.
Across the Seas: Özer Kabaş and His Timesto 14 Mar 2027SALT BeyoğluFree
Paintings, prints, jewellery, film and archive material tracing artist and educator Özer Kabaş (1934-1998) and his place in Turkey's cultural history.
Behind the Camera of the Republicto 28 Mar 2027Pera Museum
Flawed and overlooked press photographs of early Republican Istanbul, 1920s to early 1950s, from the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation archive.
- Gökyüzü Şekerdendi (The Sky Was Candy)to 28 Mar 2027
Arter
Group show of 24 artists from the Arter Collection on home and homeland, migration, borders and belonging.
Manuel Çıtak: An Island of One's Ownto 23 May 2027Istanbul Modern
Solo show in the Photography Gallery covering Manuel Çıtak's whole career from the 1980s to 2023, from coastal black-and-white work to cityscapes.
Seyahat Sanatı: From the Sadberk Hanım Museum and Ömer Koç Collectionsto 23 May 2027MeşherFree
Travel accounts, paintings and objects tracing journeys to Ottoman lands from the late 15th to early 20th century and the motives behind them.
Flowing Cityto 27 Jun 2027Istanbul Modern
Art and water in Istanbul: historical paintings and photographs alongside new works from the museum's artist residency programme.
Hauntedto 15 Aug 2027Borusan Contemporary
Collection show on being human in a posthuman world, framed by the Sphinx's riddle, with kinetic, data-driven and AI works by teamLab, Memo Akten and others.
Time Space Geometryto 15 Aug 2027Borusan Contemporary
Olivo Barbieri's solo show of five photo series using optical interventions and aerial views, from Anatolian sites to Istanbul, waterfalls and the Alps.
Image credits
10
- Frank Bowling: Creation and DestructionCourtesy of Pera Museum
- No Admittance Except on BusinessA drawing from Merve Bedir's Near Miss (2026). Courtesy the artist
- Out of the archive: Industrial Architecture in TurkeySalt Research, Photograph and Postcard Archive
- Across the Seas: Özer Kabaş and His TimesPhoto: Metean Bars (Salt)
- Behind the Camera of the RepublicCourtesy of Pera Museum
- Manuel Çıtak: An Island of One's OwnCourtesy of Istanbul Modern
- Seyahat Sanatı: From the Sadberk Hanım Museum and Ömer Koç CollectionsCourtesy of Meşher
- Flowing CityCansu Çakar, 1988, Golden Fleece, 2025 (detail), Istanbul Museum of Modern Art Collection
- HauntedMemo Akten, Dalgalar 2.0: Toprak, 2023, Borusan Çağdaş Sanat Koleksiyonu
- Time Space GeometryOlivo Barbieri, Efes Türkiye, 2023, Borusan Çağdaş Sanat Koleksiyonu
Stay in the loop on Istanbul
A short note now and then when something new opens worth your time.