This year, Istanbul once again hosted a fair with the atmosphere of a festival. The 4th ARTCONTACT International Contemporary Art Fair, held at the Dr. Architect Kadir Topbaş Performance and Art Center from May 22-26, was met with great interest.

The fair featured over 100 participants, showcasing the works of more than 1,200 artists and thousands of artworks, and hosted international artists from nearly 40 countries. It offered unforgettable moments to art lovers with over 20 live performances, 24 panels, and workshops.

The opening ceremony, which began with a concert by the Performing Arts Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Istanbul Yeni Yüzyıl University, featured speeches by Bilgin Aygül, Chairman of the ARTCONTACT ISTANBUL International Contemporary Art Fair Board, and Tamer Levent, founder of the "Sanata Evet" platform. Additionally, renowned artist and critic Bedri Baykam, General Manager of Kültür AŞ Murat ABBAS, and Beyoğlu Mayor İnan GÜNEY made impactful speeches at the ceremony. The "Artist Honor Award" was presented to Ahmet Umur DENİZ, the "Institution Honor Award" to Art TV, and the "Contribution to Art Honor Award" to Prof. Dr. Yılmaz BÜYÜKERŞEN. After the ceremony, the opening cocktail was held with a jazz performance by the "Esra Gürçay Trio" in the open air.

Among the notable visitors to the fair were Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Kadıköy Mayor Mesut KÖSEDAĞ, Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat ÇALIK, Belgian Consul General Tim Van ANDERLECHT, and the Armenian Patriarch of Turkey, Sahag MAŞALYAN. Many consuls general, cultural attachés, and numerous collectors from various countries also visited the fair. The significant participation from abroad and Anatolia demonstrated that ARTCONTACT ISTANBUL is an important part of the international art calendar..

The fair saw intense interest from the Russian Federation, Iran, Europe, and South Korea, with over 200 artists participating. The fair showcased contemporary art from all disciplines, including painting, photography, sculpture, and installation. Internationally, 11 artists from the Ilya Repin Art Academy enriched the event with their exhibitions and live performances, while five art galleries from Hungary participated under the umbrella of the Art Market Budapest International Contemporary Art Fair. Galleries from Russia, Italy, Bulgaria, South Korea, Armenia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, and Iran also participated in the fair. Numerous artists from Spain, the USA, Bulgaria, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Armenia, Belgium, South Korea, and France were also present with their galleries.

The 24 art talks and conferences held as part of the fair attracted great interest from art lovers. Topics included “From Traditional to Contemporary” by Belgian artist Jeroen DEMOEN, “Gallery Beylikdüzü and Collection” by IBB Deputy Secretary General Mahir POLAT and Gallery Beylikdüzü Manager Neslihan YAKUPÇEBİOĞLU, “The Art of Living” by Tamer LEVENT, “Virtual Life Within Reality” by Mahir GÜVEN, and “A Republican Artist; Zafer GENÇAYDIN” in memory of Zafer GENÇAYDIN.

From South Korea, "AB GALLERY," from Armenia, "ART EMBASSY GALLERY," from Italy, "SIXTEEN ART & MORE," from Hungary, Art Market Budapest "CONTEMPORARY HUNGARY," from Tatarstan, "ES GALLERY STUDIOS," from Russia, "G GALLERY," from Kazakhstan, "GALLERY ORHON," from Iran, "MOJ ART GROUP," from Spain, "PARKART," from Yakutistan, "YAKUTDER," and from Turkey, "ALARMART," "ARDA SANAT GALERİSİ," "CANVAS ART GALLERY," "FIRÇA SANAT GALERİSİ," "GALERİ SOYUT," "GALA GALERİ," "GALERİ SELVİN," "IMOGA ART SPACE," "THE BEST ART GALLERY," and many others not listed here, presented thousands of artworks at their stands.

With artists from countries such as Russia, Italy, Korea, and Spain, the fair attracted 23,000 art lovers who showed great excitement and interest in ARTCONTACT ISTANBUL. We look forward to seeing you with the same enthusiasm at the 5th edition from May 21-25, 2025.