A new center providing a glimpse into Istanbul
Güncelleme Tarihi:
BRUSSELS - The new Istanbul Center in Brussels becomes a gateway for Europeans to discover Turkey. Aiming to promote Turkish culture and heritage, it attracts an ever growing audience on the eve of Istanbul becoming the European Capital of Culture in 2010, despite Ankara’s hesitation in considering it a primary venue for networking in Europe.
As Istanbul prepares to become the European Capital of Culture 2010, The Istanbul Center in Brussels has already made a name for itself as a gateway to discovering Turkey.
The Istanbul Centre, which opened its doors in April to promote Istanbul’s cultural and social heritage in the heart of Europe, was awarded "Regional Representation of the Year" by the European Union's prestigious news magazine, the European Agenda last week.
Every year the award goes to so-called agenda setters of Europe in eight categories. Competition to the Istanbul Center came from the Valencia Regional Office in Brussels, the North East England Office, the Office of Aragon and the Federal State of Bavaria to the EU. Other prize winners included, Mr. Hans-Gert Pöttering, the president of the European Parliament, as Politician of the Year and the EU Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, Ms. Meglena Kuneva, as Commissioner of the Year.
"All prize winners are successful names representing powerful institutions. Until now this award has never been granted to a non-EU organization," reminded the Chairwoman of the Istanbul Centre Tulu Gümüştekin in an interview Monday with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review in Brussels. "The award is evidence that Europeans now perceive Istanbul as a part of the European agenda and dialogue," she added.
Lack of interest from the government
The Center has attracted a growing audience in Brussels, including top names from EU institutions. According to the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn, who attended the opening ceremony in April, the Istanbul Center will provide an important forum to further Turkey’s relations with EU institutions as well as the member states.
Until now, however, Ankara has not shown great interest in assuming the Center as the primary venue for networking in Europe. As the Center is sponsored by the municipality of Istanbul, Mayor Kadir Topbaş stood out as almost the only visible public figure in Brussels. Foreign Minister and EU Chief Negotiator Ali Babacan visited the Center only once, while State Minister Mehmet Şimşek also came to the Center once to attend a conference held by TOBB. This is partly interpreted as a reflection of the government's diminishing excitement about the EU bid.
"We need to establish a living platform here. Why are we still hosting the Turkish events in hotels?" asked the Chairwoman Gümüştekin. Carefully choosing her words, she still hinted that the Brussels Center was waiting for more ownership from decision-makers in Turkey.
"The Istanbul Center is Turkey’s home in Brussels. The whole concept lies in hosting people in an unofficial way. We want to embrace Europeans with our traditional hospitality in Brussels," she explained.
Contemporary Turkish art under the spotlight
Apart from providing a home for events and conferences on both Istanbul and Turkey, the Istanbul Center also serves as an embassy for Turkish art with its two exhibition galleries.
The first gallery currently presents the exhibition "Istanbul Diptychs," which showcases architectural and urban cityscapes of Istanbul, topics of human interest and traditions, along with pursuits of globalism as evidenced by the imagery and metaphors in the recent works of a wide group of artists. It aims to present Turkey to citizens of EU countries in a fresh manner, by employing the perceptions of contemporary artists regarding Istanbul, the site of all micro and macro-cultures present in Turkey.
Meanwhile the second gallery, which was opened the beginning of December, displays a selection from Santral Istanbul which presents the momentum that modern art gained in Turkey between 1950 and 2000. Portraying Turkey’s artistic adventure, the exhibition also includes examples from artists who took part in the contemporary art of a globalizing world after the 1990's.
"The selection has much to say about the past but like the best of retrospectives it also points to the future. What that precise future will be, is of course uncertain. However, on display in this exhibition is a boldness, a playfulness, an eagerness to engage with their own society but also with artistic contemporaries in Mumbai, Paris or New York," said Gümüştekin.