Time Out sat down for a conversation with Isabella Içöz, independent art consultant and an advisor to Sotheby’s for Turkish contemporary art.

TOiST: How wide-ranging are your jobs here in Turkey?

 

Isabella Içöz: I have a unique opportunity that allows me to advise individual clients in ways to further their exposure in the international art market of fairs and galleries. I also consult for companies, banks, foundations—Turkish and international—on the subjects of Asian, modern, and contemporary art forms. How does one build a reputable collection? How can one assess Turkish contemporary artworks and those produced elsewhere in the world? - These are some of the questions that interest me most. I take a special interest in emerging artists here in Turkey, though I certainly don’t limit myself to the younger generation. 

 

Who are some of the artists that you find impressive—those artists whose star is rising on the international scene?

 

Banu Cennetoğlu, Nazıf Topçuoğlu, Taner Ceylan, Alp Sime, İrfan Önürmen, Burcu Perçin, Canan Şenol, Hale Tenger, Emre Hüner, Suat Akdemir, Ayşe Erkmen, Erdağ Aksel, Mehmed Erdener. This list is by no means exhaustive, but I do find the above very talented. Most of these artists are working closely with local galleries—with a few exceptions, of course. And in the coming months their exhibitions will be on display here in Istanbul and in various spaces in Europe and America. 

 

As an advisor to Sotheby’s, what developments in the contempoary Turkish art world can you report?

 

While there are a number of important fairs coming up, I’m looking forward to an auction of contemporary Turkish art works that will be held at Sotheby’s in London in March 2009. Works ranging from the 1950s to the present day, and covering a variety of media, will serve as a sort of coming-out party for artists and galleries in Turkey. It’s an exciting time. My job involves helping choose the art that goes to auction, so I have the privilege of working with many innovative people here. For many Turks involved, this will be their first chance to showcase their work and collections on such a world scale. This will be a nice opportunity for the international art community to see the best of Turkey’s contemporary artists. 

 

When it comes to the international gallery and auction scene, what advice do you give Turkish artists?

 

Many Turkish artists need to gain more experience on the international art scene. This means striking a good balance between active promotion of their work through local and foreign galleries, while at the same time maintaining a sense of exclusivity that comes with being an international artist. By exclusivity, I mean both upholding a high standard of quality in the works produced—being too prolific can sometimes result in body of output that is varied to the point of being inconsistent—and keeping a certain distance from the marketplace of art. The desirability of the artist should come from the substance of the pieces themselves, rather than the live personality of the individual responsible for them. At the same time, there’s this notion of ‘kısmet’, or fate, that, while holding great weight for Turks, can lead to a passive approach to success in the international realm. This attitude, put simplistically, goes: good fortune will come if it’s meant to. So I propose active strategies of engagement with the outside art world through partnerships with well-run galleries and consultants like myself. Much of this same advice I pass on to gallery owners here in Istanbul: a confident, multi-faceted vision is necessary to succeed at international art fairs and catch the attention of foreign buyers and collectors.

 

Business and government are taking steps to support the arts in Turkey by creating cultural funds and sponsoring exhibition spaces.  Are you also involved in this side of the art scene here in Istanbul?

 

Providing places for artists to explore the creative process should be the responsibility of city governments and individual patrons—this has been the case throughout history.  I’ve begun a new project called Turkish Art Patrons (TAP), which started as an idea presented to me by the manager of Galerist, Murat Pilvenli. With TAP, I hope to bring together members committed to developing an appreciation of Turkish art both within Turkey and abroad by supporting, collecting, and promoting Turkish artists.  In time, I want to expand this to include international art. Patrons will be offered a range of opportunities through private lectures, round-table discussions, and social receptions to engage with artists, curators, dealers, scholars, and fellow collectors. We hope to incorporate guided tours, as well as curator-led travel to private collections, museums, galleries, and fairs in Turkey and abroad.

 

 In the coming years, Contemporary Istanbul aspires to be one of the top five art fairs in the world.  What do you think of the prospect of Istanbul becoming a “global city for art”? 

 

Contemporary Istanbul has had success in the past few years attracting galleries from the Far East. I’d like to see more effort in this direction, as well as toward the Middle East and Africa—I would definitely love to see some South American galleries participating in the fair in the future. Of course, a major draw of Istanbul for international artists, collectors, and the like is the city itself. It’s hard not to be captivated by the rich microcosms of life all thriving here. I’m optimistic that contemporary art will continue to grow in Turkey. The auction of Turkish work coming next March should be a wonderful litmus test to see how far contemporary art has come to this point. I’m sure the artists and the city will smile at the results. 

 

Isabella Içöz can be reached via email: isabellaicoz@hotmail.com