From speed to substance in Istanbul’s art scene

Welcome back to Al-Monitor Istanbul.

We begin the year not by looking back, but by looking ahead. The first edition of 2026 opens with a close reading of what lies ahead in the cultural landscape, from shifting art geographies to the return of craft. We check in on new exhibitions across Istanbul, pause at a table in Akaretler where food and cocktails are conceived together and look closely at a fragment of Sumela Monastery.

If you want to receive this newsletter or our other new weekly City Pulse newsletters — for Doha, Dubai and Riyadh — sign up here.

Thanks for reading,

Nazlan (@NazlanEr on X)

P.S. Have tips on Istanbul’s culture scene? Send them my way at nertan@al-monitor.com.

Also, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram: @citypulsealm

1. Leading the week: Friends and trends — what to watch in 2026

Onur Hasturk’s “Surname” series (photo courtesy of the artist)

If the past few years were marked by speed and saturation in arts, 2026 points toward a recalibration. Feride Celik, a versatile cultural operator whose work spans academia, art criticism, curating and art-led travel, summed up upcoming trends and emerging artists for Al-Monitor.

Not just AI, but art and craft. The merging of artistic practice and craftsmanship will continue, with artists seeking unique materials or returning to traditional techniques as a counterpoint to the dominance of AI-driven production. Craft is resurfacing as a way to restore material intelligence, patience and authorship.

Not just looking, but experiencing. “Experimental and immersive practices designed to engage more than sight alone are set to expand, while the relationship between art and gastronomy will deepen as sensory experience gains prominence,” Celik told Al-Monitor. The long-invoked promise of multisensory art is becoming a concrete curatorial concern.

Not just traditional centers, but new locations. While Seoul and Hong Kong remain influential, China, Southeast Asia and the Arabian Peninsula continue to expand museum infrastructures and experimental biennials. More recently, Central Asia has entered the picture, with new institutions and exhibitions drawing international attention to a region rapidly redefining its cultural voice. For Turkey, this shift matters: Istanbul still functions as a cultural corridor between the West and Asia, even as cultural production moves away from the city toward smaller, craft-driven localities.

Not just big collectors, but new players. The market, too, is adjusting. Celik points to the rise of modest collectors — such as younger buyers, particularly young professional women — who are reshaping scale, taste and access.

Not just art marathons, but slow strolling. Rapid-fire exhibition schedules are giving way to longer, more introspective shows that favor reflection over exhaustion, prompting galleries and platforms to extend exhibition durations.

Sevval Konyali’s “Outdoor Classroom Day” (photo courtesy of the artist)

Artists to watch reflect this shift. Five on Celik’s list include Sevval Konyali, who builds assemblages from collected objects, weaving memory with material history. Melike Kilic works between paper, craft and three-dimensional form, foregrounding tradition as a living language. Onur Hasturk reinterprets Islamic art traditions such as miniature painting, gilding and marbling through dialogue with modernist figures including Matisse and Warhol, presenting heritage as an evolving form that can even be found on Starbucks cups. Aysegul Karababa experiments with unconventional and fragile materials, while Merve Kafa’s works, such as “Paradox,” reckon with power.

2. Word on the street: Agata

Agata – pepper chips with a bit of kick (photo courtesy of Agata)

Agata Istanbul has entered Istanbul’s dining conversation after being listed by Gault&Millau among its Original Tables, a category that favors conceptual clarity and originality over formal fine dining. Founded by Onur Balk and led in the kitchen by executive chef Nuri Haliloglu, the restaurant is built around a straightforward premise: food and cocktails are conceived together.

Familiar Turkish flavors are pared back and reworked with contemporary techniques, while the bar responds with creative cocktails designed specifically for many of the dishes. The corner location keeps the space active throughout the day, settling into a neighborhood bar rhythm by evening. The menu favors small, shareable plates — fried cauliflower, shrimp bao and sea bass ceviche among the reliable picks — designed to move easily between table and bar.

Address: Visnezade, Suleyman Seba Cad. No:59, Besiktas

3. Istanbul diary

Ozge Kahraman digs deeper into memory (photo courtesy of IBB/Galip Olcayto)

• “The Memory of Darkness,” Ozge Kahraman’s first solo exhibition, is on view at Halic Sanat 2 until Feb. 15. Drawing on more than a decade of caving experience, Kahraman treats the underground as both physical site and mental archive, using drawing, liDAR, mapping, video and 3D modeling to trace the layered relationship between geological time, bodily memory and the subconscious.

• “When Dust Outshines the Stars,” a group exhibition at Muze Gazhane, brings together 11 artists working around light and darkness in dialogue with the site’s industrial past. Curated by Uras Kizil, the exhibition reframes darkness as a space for perception and imagination. On view until March 22. Free entry.

• “Tabula Rasa,” the first solo exhibition at Galeri 77 by Gayane Avetissian, runs until Feb. 14. Born in Armenia and based in Istanbul, Avetissian works across abstraction, realism and neo-expressionism, drawing on philosophy, pedagogy and personal memory, with recurring motifs rooted in childhood experience and Armenian cultural references.

 • Planning ahead: The 7th Mardin Biennial, titled “SKYground” and curated by Celenk Bafra, runs from May 15 to June 21 across Mardin, Kiziltepe and the ancient city of Dara. Bafra, formerly the founding director of SAHA Association, frames the biennial around the figure of the bird as a mediator between sky and ground, exploring coexistence, power, spirituality and transformation in one of Mesopotamia’s most symbolically charged landscapes.