Arter’s 10th Anniversary

Arter celebrates its 10th anniversary with deepest gratitude to all its supporters, followers and collaborators including artists, curators, and other cultural workers who contributed to its programme and shared its journey.

A subsidiary of the Vehbi Koç Foundation, Arter was opened at its building on Istiklal Street in May 2010. The institution moved to its new home in the  Dolapdere district of Istanbul in September 2019, aspiring to become a vibrant cultural hub embracing a multidisciplinary programme comprised of exhibitions, events, learning, film, and publications.

The Vehbi Koç Foundation’s involvement with contemporary art goes back to the year 2005, when a strategic plan was drawn up with the ultimate goal of founding a sustainable multidisciplinary contemporary art institution. As of 2006, many key steps were taken in this respect including the commencement of the creation of an institutional contemporary art collection in 2007 and the opening of Arter at its temporary venue on Istiklal Street in May 2010. Arter was launched as a preparatory testing ground, a platform for learning and exploration towards the actualisation of the museum-scale building that would also accommodate the collection and entail a much broader and multidisciplinary programme.

At its first home, Arter presented over a period of eight years 35 solo and group exhibitions with accompanying publications, talks, performances and workshops; and provided support for the production of 183 artworks in the framework of its programme. Meanwhile, an architectural competition was initiated for the design of the new museum building, in 2013. The winners of the competition were Grimshaw Architects of London. The construction of the building in Dolapdere was started in 2015 and completed in 2019.

Following the opening of Arter’s new home and its inaugural exhibitions on 9 September 2019, the institution has presented multilayered possibilities to discover, enjoy and engage in a closer dialogue with art: collection as well as non-collection exhibitions, performances, concerts, a festival dedicated to new music, talks, workshops and interpretation processes along with new publications.

Unfortunately, as of March 14 this year the corona pandemic forced Arter to halt its activities temporarily, and its programmes designed for gatherings in physical space were inevitably postponed. During the worldwide lockdown, Arter has been discovering new ways of interacting with its collaborators, members, neighbours, visitors and followers online.

Currently, Arter presents from its own collection an online selection of video works entitled #playathome on its website. The first part of the #playathome series featured eight videos related to sound and/or music in various performative ways, while this second edition presents nine videos with a particular focus on the act of drawing and painting, even though the contextual frames surrounding each work and the tools they utilise may differ from one another. #playathome is on view on www.arter.org.tr until June 21, 2020.

In celebration of International Museum Day 2020, Arter also launched its page on Google Arts and Culture with the exhibition Altan Gürman, A Pioneer of Contemporary Art in Turkey as well as a selection of more than 160 works from its collection which will be opened to public access permanently on Arter’s website later in 2020.

Arter plans to reopen its doors and welcome its visitors back in physical space on June 16 with the necessary health and safety measures in place. For the most recent updates and information on Arter’s programme, please refer to www.arter.org.tr.