Exhibitions
Istanbul Modern explores the human mind with Ali Kazma
In the heart of the new Galata Port waterfront, an avenue lined with restaurants overlooking the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, stands the latest jewel of Istanbul's cultural scene: Istanbul Modern. This contemporary art museum, which opened in May 2023, not only expands the city's artistic offerings but also reaffirms its capacity for constant reinvention.
Istanbul Modern is hosting Landscapes of the Mind until February 1st, an exhibition that explores the writer's mind through the metaphor of landscapes in the work of Ali Kazma, one of the most prominent contemporary artists working with lenses. Kazma's practice profoundly questions the meaning of human activity, inviting the viewer to reflect on our relationship with the world and knowledge.
The exhibition brings together videos produced from the 2010s to the present, focusing on books and literature, along with a careful selection of photographs drawn from the artist's extensive archive, offering an intimate and visual journey through the human mind and creativity.
The exhibition, curated by Öykü Özsoy Sagnak and Demet Yildiz Dinçer, marks the Turkish debut of Kazma's latest work, Sumi (2025), which documents one of the world's oldest ink productions, belonging to a 600-year-old tradition in Nara, Japan. Alongside it , A House of Ink (2023) and Sentimental (2022), which offer an intimate look into the apartment and archive of Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk, are presented for the first time in the country.
Also on display in the country is Alberto in Lisbon (2024), which chronicles the relocation of the library of writer and book historian Alberto Manguel from Argentina to Portugal. The exhibition also includes Kazma's earlier works, such as Calligraphy (2013) and Tattoo (2013), which explore ink-based craftsmanship and were presented in the Turkish Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale. Photographs documenting printing presses, libraries, and bookstores complement the exhibition, underscoring the centrality of the book as a space for creation and knowledge.
