As the year 2023 marks the centenary of the Turkish republic, Iş Sanat Museum celebrates the epoch-making years through an exhibition called "Long Live the Republic! The First Steps of Economic Independence in Atatürk's Era" on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Türkiye's sovereignty.
Inspired by the words of the founder of the Turkish republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk: "No matter how mighty they are, political and military victories cannot endure unless they are crowned by economic triumphs," the exhibition focuses on the development of economic and social life.
The "Long Live the Republic!" exhibition features over 2,000 documents, photographs, films and objects borrowed from many institutional and personal archives, including the Iş Bank Museum archive and family heirlooms.
During the opening speech of the exhibition, Suat Sözen, the deputy general manager of Turkish private lender Iş Bank, commemorated those who lost their lives in the Feb. 6 earthquakes and sequent flood disasters that wreaked havoc in southern Türkiye.
"This exhibition is very special and meaningful for us. We are presenting our exhibition in the 100th year of our republic. Our bank, which is almost the same age as the republic, will turn 100 in 2024. It was founded on the basis of the idea that was born in the Izmir Economics Congress in 1923," he said.
The Izmir Economic Congress, also known as the Izmir Economic Entente, was held in 1923 to discuss economic policies for the new Turkish republic, which had recently been established after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
Attended by over 1,000 participants from Türkiye and other countries, several important economic policies were discussed and adopted. One of the main goals was to promote economic development and modernization in Türkiye.
This included increasing agricultural production, developing industry and improving transportation and communication infrastructure.
"Therefore, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Iş Bank as an idea as well. We are thrilled to present this exhibition in a period when both our republic and bank are celebrating their second century of presence," he added.
Continuing his speech, Sözen further said: "The Iş Bank Museum was opened in November 2007. Since then, the museum has hosted many temporary exhibitions and has welcomed over 2 million visitors. In our temporary exhibitions, in which we try to convey snippets of certain periods of our history. There were traces of the great difficulties we faced as a nation – the wars we fought for our homeland, and the rebirth of a country from its ashes."
On the other hand, the "Long Live the Republic!" exhibition, vivifies the spirit and summary of the first 15 years of our republic, which was established after consecutive wars, and the first steps of a country that gained its economic independence after an arduous War of Independence.
The exhibition, coordinated by Iş Sanat, was curated by Murat Koraltürk – a faculty member of the Marmara University Department of Economics who is known for his work on 19th and 20th century Turkish economic and social history, and institutional and entrepreneurial history. The design was undertaken by Pattu Mimarlık.
Located in the Iş Bank Museum building in Istanbul's Eminönü, "Long Live the Republic!" can be visited for free every day except Mondays until the end of 2023.
