Main trends/topics

Altan Gürman, Sarkis, Nil Yalter, Füsun Onur and Şükrü Aysan are some artists introducing new perspectives to contemporary Turkish art. These artists have produced the first examples of Turkish installation, conceptual and video art. Due to the ease of communication with the world after the ‘80s, the rise in the number of people going to the USA and Europe to study art, the formation of art exhibitions, and new art markets all contributed greatly to the development of contemporary concepts of art in Turkey. Artists interact with the academic community (especially in the fields of sociology, history and politics), and civic society on topics such as the changing environment, city, humanity, identity, communication and/or lack of communication, immigration, technology, vulnerability of human relations, the rise of individualism, loneliness, customs and cultural habits, meetings of different cultures and geographies, and efforts to tackle problems faced by certain groups in the realm of religion, ethnic identity, war and terrorism. In the last few years a very dynamic art atmosphere has emerged, in which interaction among artists and movements has deepened as a consequence of the increase in the number of cultural organizations and the number of curators in galleries in the last 10 years. The number of exhibitions and art publications, the purchasing of contemporary art by collectors and the professional documentation of art events have all increased. Some artists such Ayşe Erkmen, Haluk Akakçe, Halil Altındere, Gülsün Karamustafa, Leyla Gediz, Hale Tenger, Kutluğ Ataman, Canan Şenol, Taner Ceylan, Hussein Chalayan and Serkan Özkaya have become prominent in the international art arena. The effects of international art movements on Turkish artists and the emergence of local reactions and interpretations on these movements can also be observed. Turkish contemporary art first gained attention from the global art scene with Turkish contributions to art movements such Pop Art, Hyperrealism, Minimal and Conceptual Art, new realism and new expressionism as a result of due diligence and critics in its origin, request for taking part in international art development, and the effort to synthesize past with present.