METRO ISTANBUL, one of the affiliates of IMM, opens its doors to an unusual exhibition in the subway. The exhibition titled “Finding Healing in Istanbul” can be visited between 19 June and 19 July at the Approach Tunnel of the Yenikapı-Hacıosman Metro Line in Taksim.
Turkey's largest urban rail system operator, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), will host an unusual exhibition in the Approach Tunnel located on the M2 Yenikapı-Hacıosman Metro Line. Organized by IMM subsidiary METRO ISTANBUL in cooperation with Karşı Sanat, the exhibition titled “Finding Healing in Istanbul” will be open to visitors between 19 June and 19 July.
Özgür Soy, General Manager of METRO ISTANBUL, reminded that in Istanbul, which is one of the few metropolises of the world, daily busyness makes it difficult to spare time for cultural and artistic activities and Istanbulites spend a significant amount of time in the subways every day. Stating that Istanbul allocates a very important part of its resources to rail system investments and the increasing usage rate has started to make rail systems the backbone of public transportation, Özgür Soy said:
METROS BECOME A CULTURE-ART CROSSING
“Metros are not only transportation channels consisting of trains, but also a part of people's daily life. We have an area of over 1 million square meters, and we want to position these areas as cultural-art crossroads to keep up with the pace of metropolitan life, and make them areas where Istanbulites can have a pleasant time while they go home, work or to their loved ones. We want Istanbulites to see works in different branches of art in the subway tunnels. Until today, we have hosted works such as photography exhibitions and wall painting applications at various points. We think that this approach will also be valuable for artists in Turkey. They also have a hard time finding spaces to express themselves. Our artists will meet with the people of the city without intermediaries, art will find a place not only in museums but also in the subway and in life. For this reason, we want to include more works of art in our spaces.”
Informing that they will organize an exhibition in the approach tunnel at Taksim Station in addition to the stations, Özgür Soy said that the tunnel's location in a central area like Taksim is an important advantage in terms of hosting cultural and artistic events. Stating that they want to bring this special place that goes deep into the city to Istanbul through art, Soy said, “The approach tunnel; With its atmosphere, architectural features and memory, it provides a unique context for the exhibition Finding Healing in Istanbul. On the other hand, with its location and opportunities, it deserves to be included in the map of culture and arts areas in Turkey and even in the world.”
The approach tunnel, which was opened for logistics purposes during the construction of the metro line and connected to the main line or secondary roads; It is 200 meters long, 4 meters wide and 4.5 meters high. The other end of the tunnel, one end of which is connected to the life that goes underground on its rail, opens to Harbiye, one of the busiest spots in Istanbul. Tünel hosted the exhibition organized in collaboration with Karşı Sanat in 2005, but was left alone afterwards. The tunnel, which still carries the traces of the exhibition held in 2005, will open its heart to artists with a new exhibition in 2021.
Curated by Melis Bektaş, the exhibition will feature Arek Qadrra, Berka Beste Kopuz, Monster, Deniz Çimlikaya, Ece Eldek, Eda Aslan, Eda Emirdağ & İrem Nalça, Emin Köseoğlu, İpek Yücesoy, İsmet Köroğlu, Marina Papazyan, Metehan Özcan, SABO, Seydi Murat Koç , Umut Erbaş and Yekateryna Grygorenko will feature the works of important artists.
Also; Researchers Cemre Gürbüz, GabrielDoyle and NaomiCohen, who study the history and relationships of SurpPırgiç, Balıklı Rum, SurpAgop, Balat Or-Ahayim and Bulgar Hospital, which were established in the Ottoman Empire at the height of the 19th century cholera epidemic; will exhibit some of their work with stories and an installation mapped by the archive.
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