Istanbul Modern

Istanbul Modern review

Istanbul's long-awaited contemporary art museum, Istanbul Modern, opened in its doors in December 2004. Housed in a former customs warehouse on the waterfront in Karaköy, which had been used as a venue for two of Istanbul's Biennials, the two-storey museum has a whopping 8,000 square metres of exhibition space. A large, site-specific piece from the eighth Biennial (curated by Dan Cameron) remains - a shattered glass staircase hung from steel chains, created by Monica Bonvicini. Likewise, Richard Wentworth's installation of hundreds of books suspended over the library, for the Centre of Gravity exhibition, proved so popular that it stayed.

The museum's permanent collection, displayed in themed groupings on the first floor, consists primarily of modern Turkish painting. Criticised for lack of edge, this collection has yet to make a real impact on either the local or global contemporary art scene. But observers are hopeful that there will be changes in direction when David Elliot, former director of Tokyo's Mori Museum, takes up his new post as director in January 2007.

The varied programme of changing exhibitions on the ground floor, curated by Rosa Martinez, has already proved more successful. Shows like 'Venice-Istanbul', the first time that part of the Venice Biennial has been exhibited in another city, have helped put the museum on the global art map. These exhibitions have also introduced major international artists, including Anish Kapoor, Juan Munoz and William Kentridge, to a local audience. Similarly, temporary exhibitions have allowed for more curatorial approaches to contemporary Turkish art.

One of the museum's galleries is dedicated exclusively to exhibitions of photography; another is devoted to video art, showcasing work by the likes of Sam Taylor-Wood and Fischli and Weiss, alongside local artists such as Şener Ozmen and Erkan Ozgen. The in-house cinema screens an interesting mix of Turkish and international art-house movies and experimental shorts.

The museum's restaurant has proved a big hit in its own right. Stunning views across the Bosphorus to the minarets of Sultanahmet and out to the Marmara Sea just about justify bumped-up prices for decent bistro fare.