Turns out having a grand old time is the same in all languages.
This past weekend Alphan Eseli and Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli the founders of ISTANBUL’74 hosted the sixth edition of the Istanbul International Arts and culture Festival. This exciting festival pairs leaders in art, design, fashion, film, music, literature and architecture with their Turkish counterparts. The theme of this year’s festival was Aesthetics in Arts and Culture.
The festival kicked off Friday evening with the opening of Anton Corbjin’s “Number 5” exhibition at the Galatasaray Gallery in Istanbul followed by a welcome dinner hosted by Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli at the Ottoman Art Expert Serdar Gulgan’s historical mansion. The dinner included a performance by the musical group Ninos Du Brasil.
Some of the festival goers included jewelry designer Delfina Delettrez, designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia, Stylist Catherine Baba, Designer Johan Lindeberg, Stylist Robert Rabensteiner, founder of Each Other Jenny Mannerheim, Actor Rupert Friend and many more.
[slideshow]The festival continued on through Saturday and was packed with a series of panels at VAKKO Fashion Center and included a book signing by editorial director and publisher of Daze, Jefferson Hack. That night Demet and Alphan along with Chopard hosted the Festival Gala dinner for over 200 international and Turkish guests. This year the dinner was hosted at the Çırağan Palace Bosphorus Pier Lounge, a former 19th century Ottoman palace. The dinner was followed by an after party hosted by Demet and Waris Ahluwalia at the Soho House Istanbul Downstairs that included a dance party led by international DJ, Paul Sevigny.
On Sunday a.k.a the final day of the festival the festivities continued at the Soho House Istanbul, a beautiful 19th century Palazzo Corpi located in the Beyoğlu district. The day was filled with panels and special screenings of “Dreamers” by Noelle Deschamps and “ONE: Union of the Senses,” a short film by artist Jose Parla. The day also included a one-of-a-kind performance with Thurston Moore with Turkish band Konstruct.
Some of the highlights of the festival include Anton Corbijn exhibition comprising of six photographs featuring some of his most well known subjects from the music world at Galatasaray Gallery.
David Adjaye panel with Turkish architect Murat Tabanlıoğlu analyzing cultural movements as they have influenced architectural aesthetics and shaped our view of the built environment.
Actresses Parker Posey and Serra Yilmaz panel discussing Women in Film, as well as actress, model, activist Aimee Mullin analyzing her career.
Silvia Venturini Fendi panel on her life’s work dedicated to fashion and family, moderated by Dan Thawley.
Jefferson Hack book signing for his newly released book, We Can’t Do This Alone, showcasing the extraordinary journey into underground culture, featuring contributions from cultural provocateurs such as Tilda Swinton, Rankin, Aimee Mullins, Björk and more. Coupled with the book signing will be an exhibition of original artworks contained in the book, bringing to life 25 iconic quotes from Jefferson Hack’s editorial career.
ISTANBUL’74 and EACH x OTHER pop-up store located at PERA64 featuring live screen-printing by artist Blair Chivers, as well as products from Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Robert Montgomery and Jefferson Hack, which will run until August 3, 2016.
Anja Rubik and Ben Gorham panel reclaiming the five senses, highlighting the people who possess the clarity to articulate the world to others through them and exploring what it means to learn through the senses from the moment we are born.
The festival came to a close on Sunday night with the traditional boat sail co-hosted by The Setai Miami, on the Bosphorus after cocktails at Ciragan Palace Kempinski, and a farewell dinner on the Sureyya boat, hosted by Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli and Etem Postacioglu.
