Timeless Curiosities

“Timeless Curiosities” focuses on how contemporary technologies and digital culture have shaped the way artists think and produce. The works in the exhibition aim to record the transformations in artists’ perspectives on different issues by addressing topics that artists have considered since the earliest instances of artistic production. Using techniques of expression enabled by digital tools, these works offer a current perspective of timeless themes and are examined as creations that will carry the present into the future.

Focusing on subjects such as nature, history, architecture, city, identity, and society, “Timeless Curiosities” brings new perspectives to artistic curiosities that have stood out in diverse genres of art throughout history. Thus, the works featured in the exhibition resonate with broader themes in Istanbul Modern’s collection and exhibitions. By highlighting unique aspects of the artists’ intellectual processes and storytelling methods, the exhibition presents artistic research specifically tailored to engage with concepts analyzed in the exhibition and new productions.

“Timeless Curiosities” brings together artists from across Türkiye and the world, showcasing the increasingly fluid boundaries between diverse geographies and prompting reflections on shifts in artistic production habits. The exhibition features projects that are influenced by digital culture and online networks, bringing innovative and creative collaborations into view. Emphasizing the importance of inquiry, these works focus on the act of questioning and fostering new dialogues rather than seeking absolute conclusions.


Artists: Cem A., Atıf Akın, Ozan Atalan, Kerem Ozan Bayraktar, Mehmet Berk Bostancı, Cihad Caner, Yasin Arıbuğa-Toprak Fırat, Beste İleri, Alican İnal, Yelta Köm, Ebru Kurbak, Oddviz, Özcan Saraç, Ahmet Rüstem Ekici-Hakan Sorar, Meltem Şahin, Berkay Tuncay


Curators: Nilay Dursun, Ümit Mesci


Click here to start the virtual tour of "Timeless Curiosities". 

Alican İnal, Museum for Disappearing Sounds, 2024 (detail)