Türkiye's first and most comprehensive modern and contemporary art museum, Istanbul Modern is set to regain its glory in its new building with a new range of exhibitions.

As of May 4, the museum will open its doors to visitors while the opening ceremony is expected to take place at a later date.

The new building of Istanbul Modern was designed by Renzo Piano, an Italian architect who is one of the most renowned architects of his generation and is known for his innovative designs that blend modernity with sustainability and a deep understanding of the surrounding environment. Istanbul Modern is his first project in Türkiye and the design was planned to focus on the visitors, providing opportunities for all kinds of cultural, artistic, and educational activities to contribute to Istanbul's qualified space.

The five-story museum building, which hosts exhibitions and programs with a usage area of 10,500 square meters (over 113,021 square feet), houses large exhibition halls, multipurpose spaces, offices, and areas for education and other cultural events and activities. Designed inspired by the reflections of the Bosphorus' sparkling waters, the building creates light and shadow games with changing sunlight and reflections from the water with its three-dimensionally shaped aluminum panel-clad façade at all times of the day.

The new building of Istanbul Modern was built with the joint contribution of the museum's founding sponsor Eczacıbaşı Group and the main sponsor Doğuş Group-Bilgili Holding.

'Soul of the Space'

The "Renzo Piano: Soul of the Space" exhibition showcases the story of Renzo Piano Building Workshop's (RPBW) design of the new Istanbul Modern museum building, along with the architecture of other prominent cultural and art structures designed by RPBW. The exhibition is located at the entrance of the museum's free-access library on the ground floor, sponsored by VitrA.

Transparent ground floor

The ground floor is designed with transparency to create more space for visitors, featuring a library, information points, educational workshops, a cafe and a store. The transparent design of the ground floor creates a strong connection between visitors and the Tophane Park and waterfront. The transparent glass fence beneath the main mass of the building provides protected areas for outdoor sculpture exhibitions and children's workshops. The transparency of the ground floor continues in the foyer areas on the upper floors, allowing visitors to remain in constant visual interaction with the surroundings.

The first floor houses a photography gallery, a short-term exhibition hall, education and event rooms, and a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the Bosporus and the historic peninsula. The museum's collection and temporary exhibition halls are located on the second floor.

Anadol effect

Olafur Eliasson, who was specially invited by Istanbul Modern for the new museum building, created a site-specific installation. The work, called "Your Unexpected Journey," consists of three parts and spreads across different floors of the building's central staircase, providing viewers with a dynamic museum experience.

Refik Anadol's site-specific installation "Infinity Room: Istanbul Strait" focuses on real-time meteorological data and themes related to the Istanbul strait. The work processes instant data using digital technologies in a 360-degree mirrored room, creating moving visuals.

Examples of sculpture

The outdoor event area of the new museum building hosts important examples of sculpture art. In addition to the artwork "The Most Beautiful of All Mothers (I)" by Adrian Villar Rojas, which was exhibited in Büyükada during the 14th Istanbul Biennial and later included in Istanbul Modern's collection, works by Richard Deacon titled "House Model," Anselm Reyle's "Above the Underground World" and "Dust is Falling," Yılmaz Zenger's "I'd Say Ayça" and Selma Gürbüz's "Europeans" are on display for visitors.

Anthony Cragg's artwork titled "Runner" is located on the entrance platform of Istanbul Modern, while Richard Wentworth's installation titled "False Ceiling" meets visitors again in the lobby on the ground floor, after being displayed in the former building of the museum.

Nuri Bilge Ceylan exhibition

Istanbul Modern Photography Gallery opens with the photo exhibition "Somewhere Else" by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, one of the most unique directors of contemporary cinema. Sponsored by Burgan Bank, the exhibition consists of 22 large portraits that the artist took in different parts of the world, including Türkiye, India, Georgia, China, Morocco and Russia.

'Floating Islands'

The exhibition titled "Floating Islands," which presents a comprehensive selection from Istanbul Modern's collection, houses artworks that will be displayed for the first time. More than 280 works belonging to 110 artists and two artist pairs from Türkiye and around the world will meet with visitors in different spaces of the new museum building, as well as in the collection and temporary exhibition halls. The title "Floating Islands" emphasizes the relationship of the artists with the places they belong to and highlights their thoughts and productions beyond borders and geographies.

'We Are Always Here'

Works included in the Istanbul Modern Women Artists Fund, established in 2016 to support the production and visibility of female artists' works, are brought together for the first time in the exhibition titled "Hep Buradayız" ("We Are Always Here"). Sponsored by Bank of America, the exhibition presents a narrative within the themes of body politics, memory and historiography, explored by female artists who hold significant places in Turkish art history across different generations.

'Construction of Architecture'

The selection titled "Construction of Architecture" by Cemal Emden, who photographed the museum's construction process documents a historical transformation. Sponsored by Yapı Merkezi, which also undertook the museum's construction, the exhibition includes Cemal Emden's photographs that depict the construction process of the new museum building designed by Renzo Piano for Istanbul Modern.

Dazzling terrace view

Located in a special location where the Bosporus and the Golden Horn meet, Istanbul Modern offers a unique viewing experience by integrating the sea with the city's reflection on the water through the reflecting pool that covers the entire roof of the building and the platform placed on it.