TATE’s optical and kinetic art takes stage in İstanbul

In the TATE's collection of 78,000 artworks, a curated selection emphasizing optical and kinetic art will be presented to the audience at ArtIstanbul Feshane in İstanbul's Fatih district, starting tomorrow. 

The exhibition "Dynamic Gaze: Beyond Optical and Kinetic Art," which will remain open until May 19, features Neil McConnon, International Partnerships Director of TATE, and Valentina Ravaglia, Exhibitions and International Art Curator, who were in İstanbul. 

Ozan Şakar from the Cultural Diplomacy Office, Oktay Özel, Neil McConnon, Valentina Ravaglia, Volkan Aslan. 

Two new art venues

Oktay Özel, Deputy Secretary-General of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, who also heads Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Heritage, announced in today's press conference that two new cultural and art venues will open in Istanbul in the coming days. 

The first is a contemporary art museum, set to open on the shores of the Golden Horn within a month. The second is a children's science museum and digital art space, which will open after the transformation of the Çubuklu silos in Beykoz. 

22 new exhibition spaces since 2019 

Özel said that ArtIstanbul, established in Feshane-i Amire, which has a 200-year history, has been in operation since 2022, and this structure was born in 2023. 

Since 2019, 22 museums and exhibition spaces have been opened in Istanbul, with 205 exhibitions held, Özel reminded. 

Noting, "We see culture as a right for a city," Özel pointed out that TATE Modern, like ArtIstanbul Feshane, is located on the waterfront, on the banks of the Thames River, and is a space that transforms industrial heritage and serves the public interest. 

The exhibition takes a global perspective on optical and kinetic art, bringing together not only artists closely related to these movements but also modernist precursors and contemporary artists. 

The exhibition, serving as a journey into 20th-century art, was previously displayed at the Atkinson Museum in Porto, Portugal, and the Pudong Art Museum in Shanghai, China. 

The optical and kinetic art movement emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, drawing inspiration from mathematics, color theory, perception psychology, and physiology. While optical art aims to create an illusion of movement with repeating forms, geometric shapes, and dazzling colors, kinetic art includes moving elements that use motors and moving parts. 

"Open to the public" 

Neil McConnon explained that TATE hosts various exhibitions in different countries through international partnerships, saying: 

"There are times when we set up 6 exhibitions simultaneously in different parts of the world. It is a great pleasure to be here today. Optical and kinetic art is not an easily explained term. I met Mahir Polat and Oktay Özel 18 months ago. What impressed me the most was the commonality of our views. The common goal of TATE and ArtIstanbul is to bring art to the public. It was important for us that this place is a public space. Our goal as TATE was to highlight the collection and the artists." 

Valentina Ravaglia also mentioned that the exhibition is not arranged chronologically but progresses through different geographical regions. In this context, the exhibition, open to audiences of all ages, presents the historical background of optical and kinetic art and conveys it. 

Volkan Aslan, Head of the Culture Department, emphasized the importance of diplomacy in bringing this exhibition to İstanbul and said: 

"IBB Heritage had 24 areas; now it has become 45. In the next year, more than 60 cultural areas will come to life. We are very hopeful as we plan the next 5 years. We need to work more for this." (AÖ/VK)