ISTANBUL’74 is delighted to present We Belong, the inaugural exhibition at its new exhibition space at Clubhouse Bebek, Istanbul. We Belong marks the launch of an exciting new cultural partnership by the critically acclaimed curatorial team of ISTANBUL ’74 and Clubhouse Bebek, a new arts, social and wellbeing club situated in the heart of Istanbul.
Curated by ISTANBUL’74 founder, Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli, WE BELONG, features work by 25 international artists with a focus on some of the leading names in modern and contemporary Turkish art. Featuring painting, sculpture, video and large-scale installation, WE BELONG is an exploration of the fundamental human need to belong and the vital connection offered through culture and community in a global landscape marked by societal challenges.
Installed throughout the extensive interior and exterior spaces of Clubhouse Bebek, highlights include Love is the Revolutionary Energy, a neon work by Scottish artist and poet, Robert Montgomery, exhibited in Istanbul for the first time after being showcased in 2022 at the Louvre Museum Tuileries Garden, Paris. Recognised as one of Turkey’s leading artists, Alper Aydın‘s large-scale site-specific work, titled Red Pill will tower above visitors in the garden of Clubhouse Bebek and Ekin Bernay‘s Resilient Responses–originally created during the pandemic as an online performance for Tate Modern’s Terra Foundation for American Art Series: New Perspectives (2021) – has been transformed into a vast immersive installation.
We Belong brings together prominent artists, including painter and architect Erol Akyavaş; one of Turkey’s first modernist painters Nejad Devrim; painter, mural artist, writer, poet, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu; Mexican artist, Bosco Sodi; one of Turkey’s pioneering conceptual artists Sarkis, German artist known for his large-scale abstract paintings Anselm Reyle; leading conceptual artist Jorinde Voigt; Ahmet Doğu İpek, who combines traditional materials with innovative techniques; Belkıs Balpınar, a pioneer of the artkilim movement; Mehmet Ali Uysal, known for his large-scale installations; contemporary painter Kemal Seyhan; Brussels-based artist duo, :mentalKLINIK; American conceptual artist, Mike Berg. Sculptor Osman Dinç known for his works in steel, wood, and glass; Burçak Bingöl, renowned for her works addressing alienation, identity, and tradition; NOHLAB Studio, who design interdisciplinary experiences around art, design, and technology; artist, architect, and writer, Sinan Logie; producing works on the theme of preserving cultural objects Işıl Kapu; sculptor Burcu Erden; Argun Okumuşoğlu, who explores diversity in world art history and Turkish culture; Korean visual artist and theorist Cody Choi; Berke Yazıcıoğlu, known for his exploration of musical themes, reinterpreted through visual art practices, and Nejat Satı, whoreflects the industrial spirit of the age through painting.
Finally, We Belong, is pleased to presentthe documentary, The Wrinkles of the City, La Havana, realized during the 2012 Havana Biennial by Cuban-American artist José Parlá and Paris-based photographer JR – both frequent collaborators of ISTANBUL’74.
Press release from Istanbul’74
Image: Burçak Bingöl. Plateau. 2017. Installation view of We Belong at Istanbul’74, 2024. Image courtesy of Istanbul’74
