Akbank Sanat Presents the "Strange Things Are Happening" Exhibition at Contemporary Istanbul
Akbank Sanat is participating in the 21st edition of Contemporary Istanbul with a special selection titled "Strange Things Are Happening" (Garip Şeyler Oluyor), curated by Hasan Bülent Kahraman. The exhibition brings together works by Esra Özdoğan, Gülin Hayat Topdemir, and Nazif Topçuoğlu, presenting them to the audience throughout the fair...
Akbank Sanat, which has continuously supported the development of contemporary art in Turkey since its inception, presents the exhibition "Strange Things Are Happening"—curated by Prof. Dr. Hasan Bülent Kahraman—at the 21st edition of Contemporary Istanbul, held with Akbank as the main partner. Taking place at Tersane Istanbul from September 23 to 27, the exhibition focuses on the tremors caused in our consciousness by global transformation, rapidly evolving technologies, and shifting daily rhythms. "Strange Things Are Happening" invites art lovers to explore the fine line between the uncanny and pleasure.
A Serious Issue of "Displacement"
Everything in the world and in every aspect of life that we are accustomed to, know, and find familiar is being displaced by the radical transformations brought about by the era. The "Strange Things Are Happening" exhibition focuses precisely on how this sense of "displacement" upends our normative memory and structures of consciousness. Artists Esra Özdoğan, Gülin Hayat Topdemir, and Nazif Topçuoğlu make these stories of displacement and alienation visible through their unique visual languages. An existential crisis—in which all objects feel deeply familiar yet the whole feels utterly alien—forms the starting point for the works in the exhibition.
Works That Generate One Another and a Fresh Perspective
“Strange Things Are Happening” invites the viewer not merely to be a passive observer, but to look directly at the uncanniness of our era and the strange events unfolding around us. While aiming to stir deep intellectual reflection through its conceptual coherence, the exhibition once again brings together the provocative and healing power of contemporary art under the roof of Tersane Istanbul.
‘We Continue to Be One of Contemporary Art’s Key Partners’
Seçil Demiralp, Akbank’s Head of Brand and Communications, noted that Akbank has been supporting various artistic disciplines and contributing to young artists for over 50 years, stating: “We believe in the power of art to provoke thought, transform societies, and open new horizons; through Akbank Sanat, we continue to be one of the most important partners of contemporary art in Türkiye. We are delighted to have supported Contemporary Istanbul—an event that promotes Turkey internationally and brings the world’s finest examples of contemporary art to Turkish art lovers—since its very inception. This year, with our exhibition ‘Strange Things Are Happening’—brought to life through the unique practices of esteemed artists Esra Özdoğan, Gülin Hayat Topdemir, and Nazif Topçuoğlu—we invite viewers to look beyond the world we know and explore new realities.”
Artist Biographies
Who is Esra Özdoğan? Esra Özdoğan (Istanbul, 1972) completed her undergraduate and master’s studies in the Department of French Language and Literature at Istanbul University. She subsequently pursued studies in Literary Criticism at Sorbonne Nouvelle (LGC), completing a thesis titled "The Rewriting of Myths in 20th-Century French Literature." Between 1994 and 2001, she taught courses on European Cultural History, General Linguistics, French Art History, and Literary Criticism at the Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University. From 2001 to 2003, she served on the editorial boards of the magazines *Sanat Dünyamız* and *Kitap-lık* at Yapı Kredi Publications and worked as an editor for foreign publications. She worked as an assistant editorial director and editor at Can Publications from 2005 to 2007. Since 2001, her articles on literature and art have been published in catalogs for institutions such as the Pera Museum, Sabancı Museum, Istanbul Modern, and the Koç Library. She has translated nearly fifty books from French into Turkish, including art books and exhibition catalogs. Between 2016 and 2019, she completed a master’s degree in the Photography Department at Marmara University, writing a thesis titled "Time and Narrative in Photography: Examples of Jeff Wall and Nan Goldin through the Lens of Paul Ricœur’s Triple Mimesis." Özdoğan continues her work as a freelance writer and photographer.
Who is Gülin Hayat Topdemir?
Gülin Hayat Topdemir (Istanbul, 1976) completed her undergraduate and master's studies in the Painting Department of the Mimar Sinan University Faculty of Fine Arts. The artist worked at the Salzburg Mozarteum Academy in 1998. Her works were exhibited at Christie’s Dubai in 2011 and 2012, and she was invited to the Summart Painting Campus at OCAD University in Toronto in 2013. Her work titled "Play Time" appeared on the cover of the US-based *Bennington Review* in 2016, while her piece "5 O’Clock Tea" served as the cover image for Anna Journey’s book *The Atheist Wore Goat Silk* (USA) in 2017. In 2019, she participated in an artist-in-residence program in Tunisia at the invitation of the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM); the work she produced there was exhibited at the Palace El Abdelliya. The artist took part in the "5 o'clock Tea" exhibition curated by Shulamit Bruckstein at the German Consulate in 2020, and in group exhibitions at MOCAK (Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow) in 2021. In 2024, she participated in the "Art About Women" exhibition at the Consulate General of Germany alongside five of her students.
Who is Nazif Topçuoğlu?
Nazif Topçuoğlu (Ankara, 1953) graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at Middle East Technical University and subsequently completed his master's degree at the Chicago Institute of Design in 1981. Upon returning to Turkey, he began working as a freelance photographer. Between 1998 and 1999, he served as a consultant for the Pamukbank Photography Gallery. He taught courses at Boğaziçi University, Bilgi University, and Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. He wrote articles on the history and criticism of photography for various publications, such as *Geniş Açı* and *Sanat Dünyamız*. His solo and group exhibitions include shows at Leica Gallery (Istanbul, 2017), Galeri Nev Istanbul (Istanbul, 2013, 2010, 2006, 2001, 1990), Saatchi Gallery (London, 2011), Flatland Gallery (Amsterdam, 2009), Apollonia – Echanges Artistiques Européens (Strasbourg, 2009), and the Turkish Pavilion at the 50th Venice Biennale (Venice, 2003).
His photographs are also included in various international collections, such as the Boghossian Foundation (Belgium), Salsali Private Museum (Dubai), JPMorgan Chase (USA), Fotocollectie Hoboken Erasmus University (Rotterdam), and the Reflex Miniature Museum of Contemporary Art (Amsterdam).
At the core of Nazif Topçuoğlu’s work lies a constant preoccupation with the concepts of time, memory, and loss. The artist is interested in the transience of people and things; he seeks to reconstruct ambiguous and imperfect images of an idealized past. Such an endeavor inevitably requires the ability to "capture the past"; consequently, Topçuoğlu frequently references classical paintings and photographs from art history, as well as writers such as Proust and Thomas Mann. Topçuoğlu engages with images that become visually "alluring" during the creative process. Source: https://www.haberturk.com/kultur-sanat/akbank-sanat-garip-seyler-oluyor-sergisi-ile-contemporary-istanbul-da-3913154