The Istanbul Modern Art Museum: An Urban Regeneration Project?

Abstract

In the 2000s, contemporary art institutions have flourished in Istanbul. New museums (mostly private) and art galleries have been created; biennials and fairs of contemporary art have attracted a growing number of visitors. To what extent could this fostering of culture be linked with the “Bilbao effect”? To what extent are the promoters of these cultural investments betting on economic development and urban regeneration through these projects? Focusing on the Istanbul Modern Art Museum (IM), this article analyses the process of its creation and its potential impact on its environment. It argues that the development of culture investments in modern arts in Turkey is mainly due to the private initiatives of large industrial groups and the wealthiest families, most of the time with political support. More than the expected economic impact of cultural investments, the main reason for these public–private collaborations is the symbolic dimension that contemporary art provides to a country which strives to be perceived as modern, developed and European. From the IM to Istanbul European Capital of Culture 2010, cultural investments are a means of strengthening an international image in the context of the “membership” negotiations between “Turkey and the European Union”.

Notes

1. The Research Network MUSERESO—“The renewal through culture? The role of networks in the projects of modern art museums in the cities of Europe”, supported by the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme de Bretagne.

2. Interview with E. M. Balcioglu, 1st director of Istanbul Modern, 19 February 2012.

3. Interview, Istanbul, 7 March 2012.

4. The following information about the Biennial 2011 has been mainly collected from the IKSV website (http://bienal.iksv.org/en/biennial/history) and completed by an interview with Bige Örer, the Biennial's director, 1 March 2012.

5. Interview with E. M. Balcioglu, 1st director of Istanbul Modern, 19 February 2012. He is currently working for the Qatar Museums Authority as Project Director of the Orientalist Museum.

6. Interview of Oya Eczacibasi with Frederic Mitterrand for the French International Channel TV5, June 2005: http://turquieeuropeenne.eu/article3183.html.

7. http://www.tabanlioglu.com/MODERN.html.

8. Mr Topbaş worked as an adviser of Erdogan when he was the Mayor of Istanbul between 1994 and 1998. During this period, Topbas contributed to the restoration of the municipal palaces-summer palaces and historic buildings. He also served as the deputy director of Istanbul 1st Cultural Heritage Protection and Monuments Committee of the Ministry of Culture.

9. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Tourism Highlights, 2012.

10. Same trends have driven the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) 2010 Istanbul. Although initiated by private culture foundations (Maisetti et al., 2011), ECoC was supported by IMM and Erdogan who said that “the aim is to attract 10 million tourists to Istanbul” (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Activity Report, 2009, p. 18). In an article written before the ECoC 2010 Istanbul, Gunay relevantly wondered whether the ECoC event could resolve potential contradictions between enabling heritage conservation to contribute to urban regeneration (Gunay, 2010).

11. Interview with A. Akay, 21 November 2011.

12. Interview with G. A. Azrak, Chief Operating Officer, Istanbul Modern, 13 December 2012.

13. Interview with Ö. Birol, Director of Pera Museum and of the Kiraç Foundation, 6 March 2012.

14. www.istanbulmodern.org/en/museum/about_760.html.

15. Interview with E. M. Bacioglu, 10 February 2012.

16. Interviews with artists.

17. http://www.saltonline.org/en/#!/en/43/about-salt_break/.