Art On Beyoğlu

İstanbul Takes the Global Stage with the Stunning

Beyoğlu Culture Route Festival

İstanbul – the only metropolis in the world to span two continents, and a bridge between civilizations, cultures and economies – launches a multi-faceted, wide-ranging international city festival focusing on culture and art.

Developed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Beyoğlu Culture Route Project highlights İstanbul’s international value and its historical, architectural, economic and touristic assets. The Beyoğlu Culture Route Festival takes place from October 30 to November 14, 2021, featuring the participation of more than one thousand artists across 60 locations.

Serving as the capital for three empires due to its strategic position connecting Europe and Asia, İstanbul has brought together different religions, cultures, communities and works throughout a rich history dating from the prehistoric era. Named a European Capital of Culture in 2010 by the Council of Europe, İstanbul now hosts an international city festival organized on the axis of Türkiye’s largest cultural and art project, the Beyoğlu Culture Route.

The Beyoğlu Culture Route features the newly-rebuilt Atatürk Culture Centre, as well as the Galata Tower, Atlas Cinema, Galata Mevlevi Lodge, the Mehmet Akif Memorial House, and the Tarık Zafer Tunaya Culture Theatre, along with numerous other historical, cultural and architectural assets restored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. These include important cultural and tourism investments such as Galataport, the Emek Cinema, and Garibaldi Stage. The route from the Atatürk Culture Centre to Galataport presents a revealing journey from the past to the future amid the captivating ambiance of Beyoğlu, with architecture, literature, painting, music, design and theatre.

The Beyoğlu Culture Route Festival will be held annually to ensure that this project, designed to contribute to the brand value of İstanbul, one of the world’s most important tourism destinations, is showcased on an international level.

Türkiye’s Largest Arts and Culture Project

Starting on October 20 and running through November 14, the Beyoğlu Culture Route Festival will feature concerts, exhibitions and other events. Embracing all segments of society, exhibitions, concerts, opera and theatre productions, discussions and workshops will be held in sixty locations along the Festival route, with the participation of more than one thousand artists.

As Türkiye’s largest arts and culture project, the Beyoğlu Culture Route Festival brings together a wide array of works and disciplines, ranging from classical to contemporary arts, digital and film, music, dance and literature. Contemporary artists and university students are featured, along with collectors’ works and pieces produced for the Festival, gathering the nation’s cultural and artistic values under one

The Beyoğlu Culture Route Festival Supported by Technology

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism presents the Beyoğlu Culture Route mobile application.

The Beyoğlu Culture Route Festival app provides information on the Festival’s events and venues, as well as directions to the various locations. Users can create personalized profiles, plan and track their Festival activities, and stay updated on related news and social media posts.

A Real-World Festival Featuring More than One Thousand Artists in Sixty Venues

With more than a thousand artists, the Beyoğlu Culture Route program includes forty exhibitions and special projects, seventy-five concerts, forty-five workshops, twenty interviews, fifteen light shows (video mapping), and ten performances. The full program can be accessed at http://www.beyoglukulturyolu.com.

Art and cultural activities to be held within the scope of the Festival are as follows:

As one of the Festival’s most important venues, the İstanbul Ataturk Culture Centre will host eleven major exhibitions, ranging from classical art, contemporary art, digital art, and artificial intelligence. The exhibitions are designed to provide an immersive experience from the past to the future in both content and technology.
The two concert halls will host twenty-seven major concerts and performances, ranging from concerts by the world’s most prominent symphony orchestras to opera, ballet and theatre productions.
At the AKM Children’s Art Centre, famous artists will meet with young art lovers at children’s workshops.
The Taksim Mosque Cultural Centre, another Festival venue, will host exhibitions, artists’ workshops, interviews and religious music concerts.
Within the scope of the Festival, a digital audio-visual performance featuring the world’s greatest masters will span an area of 850 square meters in Galataport.
Hundreds of works selected by fine arts university and high school students have been selected for the Festival.
Installations prepared by twelve female artists for the Festival will be exhibited on the streets of Beyoğlu, complementing the area’s vibrancy and dynamism.
In addition, installations designed by local and foreign artists for the Beyoğlu streets are also on display.
In the ‘Transformation’ exhibition, we will witness the transformation of matter and waste into art.
Within the scope of the Festival, a range of exhibitions, embracing all segments of society, will span disciplines ranging from classical to digital art, and from master artists to young talents.
Within the scope of the Festival, readings, discussions, commemorations, and excursions will take place with our nation’s most renowned writers and poets at literary and poetry stops.
The Atlas Cinema Museum, which hosts film and photography exhibitions, stands out as a highlight of this event.
Nearly one hundred concerts will be held over fifteen days. Featuring musicians ranging from Türkiye’s most famous and popular artists to the world’s most important symphony orchestras, stages will offer opera, theatre, religious music, rap music and much more.
Beyoğlu’s many museums and galleries will also contribute to the Beyoğlu Culture Route Festival with dedicated exhibitions and events.