{"id":57271,"date":"2025-12-10T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/imc-artworks-exploring-modern-art-in-the-open-air\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T10:30:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T07:30:17","slug":"imc-artworks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/imc-artworks\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0130M\u00c7 artworks: Exploring modern art in the open-air"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Modern architecture and traditional bazaar culture coming together<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u0130M\u00c7 is a visionary architectural project designed in the late 1950s, situated on the edge of Istanbul\u2019s Historic Peninsula. The competition announced in 1957 was won by three young architects, Do\u011fan Tekeli, Sami Sisa, and Metin Hepg\u00fcler, with a proposal for a modern market consisting of six blocks. To respect the historic silhouette of the S\u00fcleymaniye Mosque and its surroundings, the project called for a horizontal mass rather than a vertical one. Using the land\u2019s natural slope, the architects arranged the blocks in a connected horizontal layout and reinterpreted the courtyards and passageways of Ottoman bazaars in a contemporary style. The first section of \u0130M\u00c7 opened in 1967, featuring 1,117 shops, inner courtyards, ramped walkways, and spiral staircases, making it the largest shopping complex of its time. The six separate blocks were linked by street-like passages at ground level, which also opened onto the surrounding neighborhood and Atat\u00fcrk Boulevard. This distinctive layout made \u0130M\u00c7 a striking example of how local architectural traditions and modern design could merge in Turkish architecture. In fact, at the time it was built, the complex was described as the most significant architectural work ever constructed in Istanbul in a single phase and has since become regarded as one of the key masterpieces of modern Turkish architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One feature that distinguishes \u0130M\u00c7 from similar commercial complexes is that it was among the first to integrate artworks into public spaces. In the 1960s, an international trend grew to display public art on large buildings, and \u0130M\u00c7\u2019s lead architect Do\u011fan Tekeli became a trailblazer for this movement in Istanbul. At that time, Turkish regulations mandated that 2% of the construction budget be dedicated to artworks in government buildings. Tekeli embraced this idea for \u0130M\u00c7 and suggested placing sculptures and panels representing Istanbul and its trading life in specific areas of the complex.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of a competition launched with a limited budget, eight leading artists of the time earned the right to display their work at \u0130M\u00c7. The nine pieces installed across the complex\u2019s blocks between 1965 and 1967 transformed \u0130M\u00c7 into a showcase for contemporary Turkish art. Years later, architect Do\u011fan Tekeli explained that this decision was made to maintain historical continuity, saying, \u201cThis building should carry examples of contemporary Turkish art.\u201d Just as S\u00fcleymaniye features the calligraphy of Karahisari and the stained-glass works of \u201cDrunken\u201d Ibrahim, this site, too, should hold a piece that represents Turkish art of its own time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Artworks at \u0130M\u00c7<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a result of this vision, the walls and courtyards of \u0130M\u00c7 became an open-air museum where public space and art blend. Mosaic panels, ceramic works, sculptures, and reliefs illustrating Istanbul\u2019s urban culture were installed on the facades of concrete blocks and in courtyard corners. Although many people do not notice them today, \u0130M\u00c7 houses important pieces by Turkish art masters such as Bedri Rahmi Ey\u00fcbo\u011flu, Eren Ey\u00fcbo\u011flu, Kuzgun Acar, Ali Teoman Germaner, Yavuz G\u00f6rey, F\u00fcreya Koral, Sadi Diren, and Nedim G\u00fcns\u00fcr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Bedri Rahmi Ey\u00fcbo\u011flu\u2014(Abstract Composition) Mosaic Panel<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Bedri Rahmi, a leading painter of the D Group movement, created this large mosaic illustrating an abstract landscape of Istanbul. It features birds, fish, minarets, towers, domes, and deep blue waves. With its vivid colors and folkloric details, it is one of the most striking works in \u0130M\u00c7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Eren Ey\u00fcbo\u011flu \u2013 Another mosaic panel<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Eren Ey\u00fcbo\u011flu, wife of Bedri Rahmi and an artist who traveled extensively throughout Anatolia, incorporated traditional life and folkloric motifs into her work. In her mosaic at \u0130M\u00c7, she captures these Anatolian elements in a contemporary style, paying a gentle tribute to traditional culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      • F\u00fcreya Koral \u2013 Large ceramic from 1965<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        F\u00fcreya, a pioneer of wall-ceramic art, created this piece after drawing inspiration from the spiritual atmosphere of the S\u00fcleymaniye Complex. She wanted to express love, joy, and happiness through a figurative language, and chose ceramics as the material she felt carried these emotions best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        • Kuzgun Acar \u2013 the metal sculpture titled \u201cKu\u015flar\u201d (Birds)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          This large wall sculpture by Kuzgun Acar, one of the masters of Turkish sculpture, depicts an abstract flock of birds on the fa\u00e7ade of \u0130M\u00c7. Over time, the piece was worn down by outdoor conditions and was taken in for restoration in 2013, then reinstalled in 2016. The metal birds, once again soaring toward the sky, have become a symbol for \u0130M\u00c7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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          • Bedri Rahmi Ey\u00fcbo\u011flu \u2013 the second mosaic panel titled \u201cAbstract Composition\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Placed on the facade facing Atat\u00fcrk Boulevard, this piece features glass reliefs in various colors and shapes against a lively background. With this abstract design, Bedri Rahmi crafted a unique facade that suggests themes of trade and abundance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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            • Yavuz G\u00f6rey \u2013 Decorative fountain sculpture<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
              \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              This small, fountain-like sculpture made of white marble by Yavuz G\u00f6rey, one of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s first-generation sculptors, is located in one of the open courtyards of the complex. Designed from a modern perspective, the fountain was intended to bring coolness and vitality to the space as a functional water feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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              • Ali Teoman Germaner \u2013 abstract wall relief<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                The sculptor Ali Teoman Germaner, who also designed the \u201cAlt\u0131n Portakal\u201d award statuette, created a low-relief wall composition for \u0130M\u00c7 using limestone. These relief panels, composed of several separate pieces, were installed in various groupings on the building\u2019s exterior walls. It remains a significant example that showcases the abstract sculpture approach of that period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                • Sadi Diren \u2013 Ceramic Panel<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                  \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                  This large panel gifted to \u0130M\u00c7 by renowned ceramic artist Sadi Diren interprets the heritage of Anatolian civilizations in a modern way. In his works, the artist combines the features and motifs of Anatolian ceramic traditions with contemporary forms. Inspired by tile art, this panel mixes those elements into an abstract design that complements the cultural context of \u0130M\u00c7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                  • Nedim G\u00fcns\u00fcr \u2013 the mosaic panel titled Horses (1967)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                    Painter Nedim G\u00fcns\u00fcr\u2019s fascination with horse figures inspired one of the largest panels at \u0130M\u00c7. In this work, placed on the facade of the sixth block, the artist depicts stylized horses running across broad fields of color in an abstract style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                    Silent treasures of half a century<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                    \"\u0130M\u00c7
                    \u0130M\u00c7 and Birds Sculpture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                    \u0130M\u00c7 blocks, now more than half a century old, hold a lasting place in Istanbul\u2019s memory of both music and art. These corridors, once filled with the echoes of cassettes, records, and new voices, were the heart of a unique creative ecosystem from the 1970s to the early 2000s, where producers, distributors, and music shops all operated under one roof. While examples like the Brill Building in New York or Music Row in Nashville stood out as clusters of offices or street-based networks, Unkapan\u0131 brought together every stage of production, distribution, and retail in a single marketplace. Today, these corridors host a very different kind of creativity. In the vacant shops, artists now work; studios, small exhibition spaces, and independent initiatives breathe new life into the complex. The traces of the public art vision from the 1960s still remain on the walls. The mosaics of Bedri Rahmi and Eren Ey\u00fcbo\u011flu, the ceramics of F\u00fcreya Koral, the metal birds of Kuzgun Acar, the fountain by Yavuz G\u00f6rey, the relief by Ali Teoman Germaner, the ceramic panel by Sadi Diren, and the mosaic titled \u201cHorses\u201d by Nedim G\u00fcns\u00fcr all silently preserve their place in \u0130M\u00c7\u2019s stone memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Today, initiatives like 5533 and \u0130MALAT-HANE continue to produce art within this modernist framework. The old market isn’t a gallery or a museum, but art and artistic expression still flourish within its walls. If you find yourself in Unkapan\u0131, walk under the Valens Aqueduct and visit \u0130M\u00c7. Despite the city’s changing pace, you can still see firsthand that art can exist in public space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    Modern architecture and traditional bazaar culture coming together \u0130M\u00c7 is a visionary architectural project designed in the late 1950s, situated on the edge of Istanbul\u2019s Historic Peninsula. The competition announced in 1957 was won by three young architects, Do\u011fan Tekeli, Sami Sisa, and Metin Hepg\u00fcler, with a proposal for a modern market consisting of six […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":57285,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[320,147],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-57271","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-popular-resorts","8":"category-trip-ideas"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57271"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57284,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57271\/revisions\/57284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}