Basilica Cistern to host Czech artists at unique exhibit

In an upcoming exhibition, Istanbul's Basilica Cistern will host a collection of 22 predominantly crystal artworks by contemporary Czech sculptors Vlastimil Beránek and Jaroslav Prošek, set within its ancient, 1,500-year-old historical ambiance.

A unique presentation of the Czech Republic and its art called "Gates of the Underground - Touching Space with Transition and Reflection" is co-organized by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Consulate General of the Czech Republic and is expected to be seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors of Istanbul flowing to the Cistern during daily tourist tours and during other cultural and social events.

According to a written statement, the exhibition in this particular shape and size is unique. After its end, the works will be taken to galleries and private collections around the world.

Curated by Mahir Polat, Secretary General of the Istanbul Municipality, and Miroslav Kroupa, the exhibition is based on the themes of the underground, perception of reality, mythology, reflection and transformation.

Vlastimil Beránek's crystal works interact with the water and stone world of the Cistern and participate in creating its new dynamics of water, light, colors and reflections. Jaroslav Prošek's works connect glass that was first produced in Mesopotamia roughly 6,000 years ago with subfossil oak wood material from the same period and raise questions about collective memory and the present.

The exhibition, which will open on Aug. 1, will continue through Nov. 30.

Basilica Cistern

The Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı) was built in the 6th century by the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I with a capacity of 80,000 tons of water and an area of approximately...