The Victory of Art
It might sound a little exaggerated but there is truth to this title. The global financial crisis shook up national economies in an unprecedented way and the effects of the crisis were also seriously felt in the art world. Yet these negative influences quickly gave way to a more positive atmosphere. Without a doubt, art has been the sector that shook off the negative effects of the crisis most quickly. CI'09 is a living proof of this fact. We have received way more applications than the previous years and we are sorry for not being able to host more galleries. Knowing that we will be able to host more galleries in the coming year thanks to our enlarged venue offers us some consolation in this regard.
Continuing its activities throughout the year, CI has extended its activities abroad, affectively fulfilling its mission of forming a bridge between Turkish contemporary art and the international contemporary art scene. The year 2010 has a great importance for our city and the city will definitely be in the limelight as the European Capital of Culture. CI will intensify its activities both in quality and quantity in order to fulfill its duty in this regard and is in the process of finalizing its schedule of activities for the year 2010.
If we turn back to the current year, we have made some changes to be able to accommodate more galleries and we hope you will welcome these changes. As different from last year, we moved the café and the conference venue to the A Floor to increase its appeal as a center of attraction. Moreover, we will be free from the negative effects of construction (muddy streets, smell, noise, etc.) that we experienced last year. VIP lounge is located at a more accessible spot this year; just across the main entrance. We have planned extensive parallel events for the duration of the event; there will be conferences at the event venue during the day and social activities throughout the city after the closing hours.
Yes, we are eagerly waiting; we welcome everyone –artists, art-lovers and art professionals alike- to Istanbul which is becoming more and more world's focus and attraction point. We hope you regard this event as a celebration to the end of the crisis.
Ali Güreli
Chairman
