Artists: Ahmet Çerkez, Ahmet Elhan, Burcu Erden, Eda Soylu, Elif Kahveci, Erman Özbaşaran, Evren Sungur, Işıl Kapu, Lütfullah Genç, Mithat Şen, Oddviz, Olcay Kuş, Olgu Ülkenciler, Onur Mansız, Sencer Vardarman, Ülgen Semerci
The First Contemporary Art Exhibition at Büyükyalı Cocoon: Spininng A Cocoon
The Contemporary Istanbul Art Foundation welcomes Art On Istanbul gallery for the first exhibition at Cocoon.
The Contemporary Istanbul Art Foundation has begun its art, culture, and education activities at Cocoon, located in Büyükyalı Fişekhane. Spining A Cocoon, curated by Art On Istanbul gallery, marks Cocoon’s debut exhibition. The show celebrates the creative transformation of Fişekhane, a space with a special place in Istanbul’s cultural heritage, while introducing this new addition to the city’s cultural-art map with an enthusiastic group exhibition. The exhibition, open from July 18 to September 18, 2020, features works across multiple media — sculpture, new media, photography, painting, and relief — by artists from different generations.
The exhibition title, Spinning A Cocoon, emphasizes life’s continuous capacity for reconstruction and highlights the importance of the cocoon, the private space one creates during the time spent in self-reflection and transformation. The works in the exhibition exemplify how artists emerge from their creative cocoons and how they assume witness to their own temporal experiences.
Shaped around the historical fabric of the neighborhood, this first contemporary art exhibition at Cocoon accompanies the creation of new settlements and beginnings. The exhibition invites viewers to engage with contemporary art in a space designed for reflection, social encounter, learning, and sharing. Featuring 16 artists and nearly 70 works, the exhibition provides a unique meeting point where contemporary art is presented alongside the historical texture of the space, preserving the site’s distinctive characteristics.
Residents of Büyükkyalı will be inspired by the dynamic nature of art at Cocoon, discovering various art forms and interpretations, while also allowing artworks to intersect with their daily living spaces. Through this collaboration, benefiting from Art On Istanbul’s experience and guidance, residents can enrich their homes with works by original artists. Weaving the Cocoon meets the viewer at a time when changing lifestyles surround humanity in every aspect, reminding us of the meaningfulness of pausing, observing, keeping the mind active, and learning.
