Contemporary Istanbul 2026: 21st Edition

Galeri 77 at Contemporary Istanbul 2026: 

Different Scales, Different Narratives

The 21st edition of Contemporary Istanbul opens with a preview on September 23, followed  by public days from September 24–27, 2026, at Tersane Istanbul. Bringing together galleries,  artists, collectors, and curators from around the world, the fair has established Istanbul as  one of the meeting points of the international contemporary art scene. In its current  institutional positioning, Contemporary Istanbul likewise presents the city as a global meeting  point for contemporary art.

Galeri 77 participates in Contemporary Istanbul 2026 with a comprehensive selection of 36 works by 30 artists. While 34 works will be presented at Galeri 77’s booth B153 in Hall B, two  monumental bronze sculptures by Bahadır Baruter will be exhibited in the outdoor areas (CI21  Sculpture Parcour) of Tersane Istanbul. Spanning painting, sculpture, and photography, the  selection reflects the gallery’s multifaceted program, which brings together artists from  different generations and geographies.

New Names and Works Presented for the First Time

Among the highlights of Galeri 77’s Contemporary Istanbul presentation this year is the first  inclusion of works by Yıldırım Çakmakçı and Bülend Özden in the gallery’s fair selection. Their  participation broadens the presentation and adds a new dimension to Galeri 77’s ongoing  dialogue between different modes of artistic production and generations.

Yıldırım Çakmakçı explores the emotional states of everyday life through distinctive  characters and a figurative visual language. Focusing on human relationships and inner  states, the artist brings to the surface the often-unseen emotional tensions of contemporary  life through themes of family, identity, social roles, and the individual’s relationship with their  surroundings. Working with colored pencil and PanPastel, Çakmakçı connects individual  experience with broader shared emotional conditions, transforming seemingly familiar  everyday scenes into spaces for psychological and social inquiry.

Drawing on his background in design, Bülend Özden reinterprets conventional  representations of human anatomy through a deconstructive approach within his  multidisciplinary practice. By disrupting the integrity of the outer surface, his works reveal  internal structures, layers, and unexpected voids, exploring the tensions between the visible  and the hidden, solid and void, organic and geometric. Bringing digital design processes together with physical materials, Özden approaches the human body and identity not as fixed  wholes, but as structures that can be fragmented, reconstructed, and read from multiple  perspectives.

The fair will also mark the first presentation of Daron Mouradian’s bronze sculptures. Known  for creating a distinctive world in his paintings through fantastic characters, historical  references, and surreal narratives, Mouradian extends his visual universe into three dimensional form through these bronze works.

Bahadır Baruter’s Monumental Sculptures at Tersane Istanbul

One of the most striking elements of Galeri 77’s participation this year is Bahadır Baruter’s  bronze sculptures. The artist’s large-scale bronze works will extend beyond the physical  boundaries of the Galeri 77 booth and meet the Contemporary Istanbul audience for the first  time in the outdoor areas of Tersane Istanbul.

Combining the incisive social observation of his cartoon practice with the physical and three dimensional language of sculpture, Baruter approaches the human body not merely as a  formal element, but as a site where social expectations, desires, and contradictions become  visible. The contrast between the weight and permanence of bronze and the artist’s humorous  and ironic approach is further intensified by the monumental scale of the works. In addition to  his two monumental outdoor sculptures, one medium-scale and one small-scale bronze  sculptures will be exhibited at the Galeri 77 booth.

Galeri 77’s Contemporary Istanbul 2026 presentation brings together practices ranging from  figurative and abstract painting to photography, sculpture across different scales, and  experimental uses of material. Rather than homogenizing distinct aesthetic approaches  under a single narrative, the selection places them side by side, making visible both the  gallery’s long-standing relationships with its artists and its openness to new practices and  new voices.