The 17th Day of Contemporary Art was celebrated in Istanbul on 6 December, with a webinar entitled “Six Years in Istanbul” featuring the new Director of the Quadriennale di Roma art exhibition and sole artist at the Italian Pavilion of the Venice Biennale 2022, Gian Maria Tosatti. Furthermore, at the invitation of the Italian Embassy in Ankara, architect and university lecturer Gianluca Peluffo presented to the students of Yeditepe University (in Istanbul) and Bilkent University (in Ankara), as well as to the online audience, his artistic concept of “building citizens”, a distinctive project of Studio Peluffo and Partners.
In the webinar “Six years in Istanbul”, Tosatti talks about the research/pilgrimage experience that led him, in May 2021, to create a large visual art and environmental installation in the Tarlabaşi district of the Turkish city, thanks also to the support of the Italian Cultural Institute. Joining Gian Maria Tosatti at the event were Francesca Guerisoli, art critic, curator and journalist, and Stefano Raimondi, president of The Blank Contemporary Art Association.
The event with Gianluca Peluffo, introduced by the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy, Cons. Gianmarco Macchia, the architect recalled the value of classical theatre for modern architecture. Like the former, in fact, the building designed by Peluffo is a physical and spiritual place where each individual can meet with the community, through the medium of a shared language.
The new contemporary languages of Italian art and architecture, also in relation to the close relationship between cities, communities and landscapes, continue to arouse strong interest in the Turkish public, which has demonstrated on numerous occasions. over the last few years – including during the pandemic – that it appreciates the originality, innovative charge and style of new Italian contemporary art in all its expressions, thanks also to the numerous promotional occasions organised by the institutions of Sistema Italia.
