The Banu – Hakan Çarmıklı Collection, one of Turkey’s leading private art collections, has for more than 30 years brought together international and local contemporary art productions within an organic and thematic framework, continuing its journey of conceptual and formal deepening. First Round offers a comprehensive impression of the collection through nearly 80 works by 68 Turkish artists, each addressing socio-political issues with diverse aesthetic approaches across various disciplines and mediums. The selection, which brings together painting, drawing, photography, video, and installation, presents a narrative of both the past and present of contemporary art practice in Turkey.
Curated by the collector, First Round distinguishes itself from classical collection exhibitions by not only reflecting the development of contemporary art in Turkey but also embodying the challenges of hosting today’s art. The exhibition brings together young artists at the beginning of their careers with Turkish artists whose practices date back to the 1980s. In this way, works by experienced artists who played a significant role in the evolution of Turkish art in the 1980s are displayed alongside those of emerging talents. By showcasing works produced in different disciplines and mediums, the exhibition also highlights diverse artistic methods and discourses within the national art scene.
The exhibition is structured around conceptual sections where poetry intertwines with politics and individuality merges with collectivity. Works addressing issues of identity, feminism, socio-political and geopolitical themes are displayed across the four floors of the Galata Greek School. Visitors encounter works from both the past and present of contemporary art in Turkey on each floor and in each room. By referencing notions of place and time, First Round takes the audience on a journey through art history, offering opportunities to engage with aesthetically striking and intellectually powerful contemporary works. Many of the pieces are being publicly exhibited in Istanbul for the first time within this show.
With its large number of artists and works, and the unconventional, radical nature of the pieces on display, the exhibition may at times feel challenging—even difficult to grasp. Yet, like every first round, this exhibition embodies the spirit of a beginning: a complex and multilayered search within the compelling and intriguing world of contemporary art in Turkey. In this sense, the exhibition mirrors the adventure of discovering art and building a collection. It unfolds like a never-ending story, where each new section brings unknown possibilities, different rooms shape the path toward the unexpected, everything is possible, and nothing is quite as it seems.
Did someone just ring the bell? That’s the signal for the first round. Let the match begin!
Marcus Graf
