On this context, the competition takes on an particularly well timed theme—not solely related in Turkey however globally—by analyzing the more and more blurred, liminal area between notion and fact. At its core lies a query as previous as philosophy but extra pressing than ever: “What’s actual?” In a world more and more mediated and digitalized, with performative social rituals and shifting modes of notion, the competition offers a platform for artists, philosophers, intellectuals and creatives to discover how actuality is formed, fractured and reimagined.
Actuality, in any case, has by no means been mounted—it’s molded, manipulated and frequently bent to the wants of those that assemble it. Artwork turns into a software for reshaping and reimagining actuality, providing various visions, subverting dominant narratives and exposing the delicate seams of notion. In doing so, it underscores our vulnerability at sensorial, cognitive and emotional ranges.
The fifteenth version of the IST. Pageant, titled “What’s Actually Actual?”, will unfold by means of a sequence of thought-provoking panels, conversations and debates. Bridging disciplines and opening area for vital considering, hypothesis and alternate, it invitations artists, thinkers and audiences alike to interrogate the fault strains between the genuine and the substitute at the moment. This yr’s lineup options notable figures from throughout artistic industries, together with celebrated artist José Parlá, Judd Basis inventive director Flavin Judd, collector Désiré Freule, actor Waris Ahluwalia, director Paweł Pawlikowski and Cultured editor Julia Halperin, amongst others.
Over the previous fifteen years, the IST. Pageant has staged occasions throughout a variety of venues—museums, cultural establishments, historic buildings—internet hosting gala dinners at websites like Topkapı Palace and panels at Istanbul Fashionable. Deeply embedded within the metropolis’s cultural material, the competition has constantly obtained assist from the federal government and the Ministry of Tradition. For the primary time, the competition can also be partnering with Istanbul Globetrotter, which is able to launch a brand new metropolis information in the course of the occasion, providing a curated perspective on Istanbul’s artistic and cultural landscapes.
Alongside its nomadic programming, the group maintains a everlasting dwelling on the restored ’74 Gallery in Arnavutköy, a Bosphorus-side neighborhood within the Beşiktaş district. Housed in a three- to four-story historic yalı (waterside mansion), the area hosts up to date exhibitions whereas honoring the ties to custom and historical past embedded within the constructing itself. Presenting a various vary of exhibitions and interdisciplinary occasions, the gallery has turn out to be a artistic hub and connector for each native and worldwide artists. For this version of the competition, nevertheless, the objective is to maneuver past the gallery’s partitions—activating the neighborhood and reworking town right into a dwelling laboratory, the place installations, performances and ephemeral interventions disrupt and reframe the rhythms of on a regular basis life.
In the end, one of many competition’s core goals is to reclaim its function as a global platform—inviting individuals from overseas, connecting them with native creatives, and demonstrating simply how vibrant and alive the cultural scene in Istanbul, and in Turkey extra broadly, nonetheless is.
Because the dialog turns to how the artwork and cultural ecosystem is evolving—not solely in Turkey however globally—Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli and Alphan Eşeli agree that we’re witnessing a sweeping transformation throughout artistic industries. Technological shifts, the pandemic and the rise of A.I. have accelerated adjustments already underway. “I’m a filmmaker, and if you happen to simply take a look at cinema, the panorama has utterly modified,” Alphan Eşeli famous. “I imagine we’re dwelling by means of a historic second of profound change—one thing as seismic because the Industrial Revolution, which didn’t simply reshape manufacturing however altered how individuals thought and the way they engaged with the world.”
Right now, we stand on the cusp of a equally radical transformation, this time pushed by computer systems and digital expertise. “I don’t suppose it’s attainable to stay untouched by it—particularly within the arts. The best way we create, suppose and talk is already altering,” he stated. “In cinema alone, the rise of streaming platforms, social media and algorithm-driven content material has been a complete shift. And I see Turkish artists and creatives on the forefront—many actively discover and embrace new applied sciences of their work.”
After a shocking detour into the worldwide rise of Turkish cleaning soap operas—presently and considerably unexpectedly, outpacing even Ok-movies in reputation—Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli and Alphan Eşeli return to a core level: Turkey has an enormous youth inhabitants, and with it a rising wave of younger artists who’re deeply attuned to what’s new. “There’s positively nonetheless an underground scene evolving, particularly in a metropolis like Istanbul,” they famous. The youthful era can also be much more linked to international currents, largely because of social media. “That form of entry and consciousness is transferring a lot sooner than it did 20 years in the past, again when the web was nonetheless restricted,” Demet added. “Now, communication between worldwide communities occurs virtually immediately, and I believe the humanities have gotten more and more interconnected due to it.”
By way of ISTANBUL’74, the Eşelis are working to amplify and facilitate these exchanges, constructing bridges by means of new codecs and channels—together with Instagram, the place they’re notably energetic. Their prolonged ecosystem, ’74GROUP, produces culturally related tales throughout a number of divisions, spanning every little thing from the competition itself to ’74PODCAST, which hosts ongoing talks with creatives from world wide, and ’74ONLINE, a store devoted to curated collaborations with artists, galleries and designers. Additionally below its umbrella is ’74STUDIO, a artistic company that makes a speciality of model course, technique, design and communications throughout artwork, style, gastronomy and hospitality.
As if that weren’t sufficient, in addition they co-founded the humanities and social membership CLUBHOUSE BEBEK in Istanbul and launched a seasonal artistic area in Bodrum: 74ESCAPE, a community-based platform that encompasses a retailer championing craft and design alongside a web-based diary spotlighting journey and tradition from world wide.
Even the everlasting gallery, ISTANBUL’74, has advanced right into a year-round website for activations and inventive connections—not solely by means of an artist residency program for worldwide skills but in addition as a gathering place for Istanbul’s youthful era. “That’s actually the spirit behind what we’re doing, with the artwork combining with guide golf equipment and the document and vinyl listening room,” Demet concluded. “It’s about creating areas the place individuals can come collectively, share concepts and construct one thing significant.”
The Istanbul Worldwide Arts and Tradition Pageant (IST. FESTIVAL) takes place October 10-12, 2025.
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