Turkey’s leading arts and culture platform ISTANBUL’74 was brought to life in 2009 by Creative Director Demet Muftuoglu Eseli and Filmmaker Alphan Eseli. Taking its name and inspiration from the city that culturally and geographically bridges two continents, ISTANBUL’74 organizes cultural events, festivals, workshops, exhibitions and artistic collaborations with creative thought leaders. In 2018, ISTANBUL’74 opened a second office in New York and continues its operations in both cities.
ISTANBUL’74 produces and curates exhibitions for a wide range of established, international artists of various disciplines, bringing those exhibitions to cities around the world.
Since 2010, ISTANBUL’74 has also been curating and organizing The IST. International Arts & Culture Festival (IST. Festival), an annual, multidisciplinary festival that connects international leaders in art, design, fashion, film, music, literature and architecture with their counterparts in Turkey, promoting open dialogue and creative collaborations around the globe. Open to the public, IST. FESTIVAL is a three-day long, public event with panels, talks, workshops, exclusive screenings, and exhibitions, all part of ISTANBUL’74’s dedication to cultivating community engagement and artistic education. Starting in 2019, with a vision to travel beyond borders, IST. Festival broadened its reach to a wider global audience, launching new biannual editions, to premiere in Rome.
ISTANBUL’74 is made up of several distinct components: ‘74GALLERY, an art gallery that produces exhibitions and private events with local and international artists, ‘74STUDIO, a full service creative branding and communications agency; ‘74FILM, a production house and studio focusing on video conceptualization, development and production; ‘74ESCAPE, an online diary showcasing travel experiences and insights from around the world with a concept store that features special collaborations and limited edition collections.