İstanbul Modern: a dream of many years coming true

For the past five years, your name has always come up in conjunction with İstanbul Modern. What does İstanbul Modern mean for you?

İstanbul Modern was first created to realize a dream there had been had for years, the dream of a modern art museum that had been kept alive since the republic was first formed. It was a response to some very great expectations on the part of some people. And thus this museum, which we really needed many more years ago, was finally formed in 2004. Our traditions in the arts were really a very well-kept secret. But now they have emerged from behind closed doors, so to speak. So visitors to our museum have the opportunity to witness not only things from Turkey’s past, but also from our present and our future.

Somehow though, when people think about museums, they tend to think about the past. But here you are, talking about the future.

Well, there is Topkapı Palace, and the museums of archeology and ethnography. These are museums of which we are proud, with wonderful pieces in them. And actually, as a city with a past that stretches back 3,000 years and presents an unparalleled geography and unique history, as well as an historical crossroads between East and West from not only the past, but also the future, we do a great job in showing off this past. But the truth is, when we talk about the present and the future of our country, unfortunately, our very talented artists who work in the arena of modern art are just not well known enough. In fact, some of our artists are really better known in Europe and America than here.

So what were your goals in starting out?

In the first stages, our goals were to gather pieces of art under one roof and then make sure they were well protected and treated. In the second stage, our goal became to hold a variety of different exhibitions, allowing pieces that had previously been stored in depots to see the light of day. Along these lines, we also aimed to bring internationally acclaimed pieces to İstanbul and exhibit them here. In the most recent stage, we have been focusing on sending pieces from our museum to be exhibited abroad. We have started to cooperate with international museums and collections.

Around how many people visit your museum annually?

We host around 500,000 visitors a year at İstanbul Modern. Over the past five years, we reached the level of 2.5 million visitors. These figures give us great pleasure. Since the day it first opened, the museum has been characterized in the foreign press as “an important reflection of İstanbul’s new and modern identity” and “Turkey’s changing face.” In Athens, for example, there is as yet still no museum of modern art. Anyway, maybe this is one reason the museum has attracted so much attention, and the attention is increasing every year. Our museum has become a particular magnet for younger people. Schools that aren’t able to get to the museum are brought in on municipal vehicles, and our roving exhibit vehicles also visit different regions, giving more and more people the chance to view exhibitions.

What are the dimensions of your own relationship with art?

I prefer to focus more on being a good viewer of art rather than working on my relationship with art.

We know that your husband has a very rich art collection.

It is something that comes down from the family, from Nejat Bey. Art in general and the İstanbul Culture and Art Foundation [İKSV] that he formed were things that my father-in-law loved very much.

Do you spend most of your time at İstanbul Modern?

I am always here. It does take up most of my time. But I don’t mind at all. During the first years of the museum, I used to think I would keep up this fast pace until everything settled into place. But as it turns out, there is just always so much work to be done so the tempo and pace actually go on, have even increased.

What about your husband and children, what do they think of this?

Well, Bülent has no complaints. And since the children are receiving their education abroad, they don’t mind.

What sort of life do you have outside of İstanbul Modern?

I love sports, and horse riding. On the weekends, my husband and I ride horses. We have done this together for years.

We also know that Bülent Bey has a deep interest in classical music. In fact, at one time he even conducted an orchestra. What is your relationship with music?

I have more of an interest in the arts. On the weekends, my husband and I go to galleries. Our trips abroad are often based on museum visits. My husband sometimes gets bored with this, but still, he comes with me. When you do work you love, it becomes your hobby at the same time.

So you put everything you have into your work with İstanbul Modern. And do you get out of it what you put in?

Yes, thank God, I am very happy. Because I love what I do. Our goal now is to make İstanbul Modern into an institution which really belongs to the public. I see that the work I do really contributes something to people’s lives.

When did you first feel the lack of a museum of modern art in İstanbul?

I graduated with a management degree from Bosporus University. And then I first began working at the İstanbul Culture and Arts Foundation. I worked at the first İstanbul Biennale, in 1987. And it was in 1990 that the idea for this museum was first born. During that time, the second biennale took place at the Feshane. We tried at that point to see the Feshane turned into a modern art museum. Later, I headed to England in 1990 to get my master’s. The subject was this abiding interest of mine, museum management.

After starting in this arena, your interest in museums grew...

Yes. Because actually, from the start, I had no intention of working in museums.

And then after your master’s degree?

After I got my master’s, I taught for four years at Bosporus University on the subject of museum management. I also used to engage in debates with my students over the dream of a modern art museum in İstanbul.