Istanbul. Passion, Joy, Fury

The passion for creativity…
The joy that emerges from achieving objectives…
The fury of the city…
45 artists and architects, and over 100 works present the transformations, conflicts, innovations and hopes of a city that has become the symbol of contemporary change.

Social transformations, political tension, conflicts and new community dynamics have made it the symbol of global change: this is Istanbul. Starting out with reflections on key issues spotlighted in the Gezi Park protests in 2013, the exhibition Istanbul. Passion, Joy, Fury—curated by Hou Hanru with Ceren Erdem, Elena Motisi and Donatella Saroli—thrives from its examinations of the current mutations of the urban, cultural and social reality in Istanbul and their impacts on creative practices. It tackles existential questions that apply to all of us: Are we ready for change? Is it right to fight? Is it really necessary to work so hard? Is it possible for people to live together in peace? And above all, can we still hope for a better tomorrow? Artists, architects and intellectuals have replied to all of these questions through their work, developing a solid critical commitment, of which the exhibition presents an overview, mapping the various experiences that have evolved in the city and thanks to the city: artistic, architectural, cinematic and critical projects.

Artists and architects:
Hamra Abbas, Can Altay & Jeremiah Day, Halil Altındere, Emrah Altınok, Architecture For All (Herkes İçin Mimarlık), Volkan Aslan, Fikret Atay, Atelier Istanbul: Arnavutköy, Vahap Avşar, İmre Azem & Gaye Günay, Osman Bozkurt, Angelika Brudniak & Cynthia Madansky, Hera Büyüktaşçıyan, Antonio Cosentino, Burak Delier, Cem Dinlenmiş, Cevdet Erek, İnci Eviner, Extrastruggle, Nilbar Güreş, Ha Za Vu Zu, Emre Hüner, Ali Kazma, Sinan Logie & Yoann Morvan, Networks of Dispossession, Nejla Osseiran, Ceren Oykut, Pınar Öğrenci, Ahmet Öğüt, Didem Özbek, Şener Özmen, PATTU, Didem Pekün, Zeyno Pekünlü, Mario Rizzi, Sarkis, SO?, Superpool, ŞANALarc, Ali Taptık, Serkan Taycan, Cengiz Tekin, Güneş Terkol, Nasan Tur