The Istanbul Center in Brussels has new gallery

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The Istanbul Center in Brussels has new gallery
BRUSSELS - The Istanbul Center in Brussels, which opened eight months ago as part of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture activities, unveiled its new art gallery this week. The art gallery will host two Turkish contemporary art exhibitions for the next two months

The Istanbul Center in Brussels has new gallery The Istanbul Center in Brussels, or ICIB, this week unveiled its very own art gallery as part of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture activities. The gallery will feature Turkish and Istanbul-inspired art at the center opened eight months ago by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in Belgium’s capital.

Among attendees at the opening ceremony were Istanbul Deputy Mayor Ahmet Selamet, President of the Committee of the Regions, Luc Van Den Brande, Turkey’s ambassador to the European Union, Volkan Bozkır, Turkey’s ambassador to Brussels, Fuat Tanlay, officials from Istanbul and members of the press.

"The opening of the new art gallery in the ICIB is an indication our city is part of Europe. At the same time, this opening is an opportunity for us to show our appreciation to Brussels for its close friendship. The new art gallery is a turning point for future activities in Brussels. In this way, the center will become larger and host bigger and more important projects," said Selamet in a speech after the opening ceremony.

The first of two new contemporary exhibitions in the gallery is "1950s to 2000: A Selection from the Santralistanbul Collection" and designed to show the momentum that modern art has gained in Turkey since 1950. The second, "Istanbul Diptychs Contemporary Visual and Verbal Positions," consists of works by 12 European artists inspired by Istanbul.

’Istanbul to become a showcase’
Brande said multi-stage governance was needed in both Europe and Turkey, and brainstorming by candidate countries would be significant. "Istanbul will become a showcase in 2010 when it is the European Capital of Culture. Its cosmopolitan character will be on display once again," he said.

Stating that Istanbul, home to various civilizations throughout the history, had always been a magnet for people, Brande said the Committee of the Regions sought to contribute to the process as they had common feelings for the city. "We have to struggle against troubles together. The collection in the gallery has left a great impression on me."

ICIB President Tulu Gümüştekin said they opened the new art gallery because the center was fairly small when it opened eight months ago. She said the gallery was the first to introduce Turkish art to Europe, and added both exhibitions would open a window onto Turkish contemporary art.

"Common values are part of our common goals. Istanbul is not a city in Europe but it belongs to Europe," she said. Gümüştekin said the exhibitions would remain open until Jan. 30 and after this the center would feature new exhibitions.Hurriyet

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