The rise of arts and culture in Turkey in tough times

Despite heavy political and diplomatic problems in Turkey, there are signs of a boost in cultural life in the country, showing the desire of at least some Turkish people to stick with universal values. Istanbul in particular is blooming, with marquee arts and culture events opening seemingly every day. 

On Sept. 11 a mind-blowing exhibition of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's porcelain works was opened at Sabancı Museum and it will remain open until the end of January 2018. 

On Sept. 12, the 15th Istanbul Biennial, titled "A Good Neighbor," was launched and will be open to the public from Sept. 16 to Nov. 12. Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) and curated by the artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset, the biennial will take place free of charge at six venues within walking distance of each other. 

Meanwhile, a new four-story culture center with exhibition spaces, conference halls, a library and a bookstore (Yapı Kredi Bank Books) is expected to give a kiss of life to Istanbul's famous İstiklal Avenue, which has been in regression for years. 

On Sept. 13, the soft opening of the international arts exhibition of Contemporary Istanbul was launched, to continue until Sept. 19.

Those are the most prominent examples, but there are dozens of similar activities of a national and international scale, going on not only in Istanbul but also in a number of other big cities like Ankara, İzmir and Antalya. Hasan Bülent Kahraman, the curator of Contemporary Istanbul, pointed out that on Sept. 12 alone some 12 important arts and culture events launched that he would like to have gone to himself if possible.

An important detail regarding the increasing activities of global arts and culture in Turkey is the fact...