Guests: Artists and Craftspeople

Istanbul Modern’s International Artist Residency Program, launched in October 2018 with the support of the Istanbul Development Agency (ISTKA), brought together ten artists from different regions of the world to collaborate with local craftspeople in Istanbul.Invited to rethink and experience Turkey's cultural values with a contemporary attitude, the artists researched various crafts in Istanbul and created new works in the workshops of, and in collaboration with, craftspeople of their choice. These works were exhibited for the first time in the "Guests: Artists and Craftspeople" exhibition.

In addition to these new works, the exhibition portrayed the artists’ processes of research and production in Istanbul and their sources of inspiration and interaction in the city. It also provided information about the artisans who took part in the project. The exhibition focused on the experience gained by guest artists during their collaboration with craftspeople, and thus also scrutinized the permeability between art and crafts. Additionally, the exhibition included objects and historical artifacts borrowed from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Directorate of Libraries and Museums collection and the Military Museum at Harbiye; they were examples of crafts that inspired the artists while producing their works and a testimony to the rich craft heritage of Istanbul.

The exhibition catalogue, prepared in Turkish and English, included texts describing the framework of the program and the exhibition, as well as crafts and production culture in Istanbul.

Artists: Faig Ahmed, Rana Begum, Benji Boyadgian, Rodrigo Hernández, Servet Koçyiğit, Outi Pieski, Randi & Katrine, Wael Shawky and Jorinde Voigt.

Curators: Öykü Özsoy Sağnak and Ümit Mesci

Artist assistant: Melodi Gülbaba

The content created within the scope of the International Artist Residency Program project, supported by Istanbul Development Agency, does not reflect the view of Istanbul Development Agency or the Ministry of Industry and Technology; Istanbul Foundation for Modern Art is solely responsible for any and all content.