HELIX

A Selection From Yapı Kredi Collections

Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts, active on Istiklal Avenue since 1964, has reopened after the renovation of its building. Embracing the Galatasaray Square with its glass façade and comprising  a bookstore, museum, exhibition hall, library and activity areas, the building will be the meeting point of Istanbul’s culture and arts world.

Given a more inclusive form, the building’s transparent and inviting façade allows passersby crossing the Galatasaray Square to see the events taking place inside the culture and arts center. The Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts building also hosts Turkey’s best known sculpture “Mediterranean” by İlhan Koman. As Koman explained, “I thought about the Mediterranean Sea when describing human embrace with love. The Mediterranean Sea was huge, it was one of us. I wanted to depict the act of receiving with open arms by making reference to its name.” The sculpture now greets the residents of Istiklal Avenue from the third floor of the building. It also embraces the abstract sculpture on the square, which was commissioned by Yapı Kredi to the distinguished sculptor Şadi Çalık in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Turkish Republic.

On the ground floor of the building, a high-ceiled, elegant bookstore welcomes the visitors, where all books of the Yapı Kredi Publishing can be found. The bookstore also includes a reading area on its mezzanine floor, as well as special areas for children’s books and children’s activities. The museum where the artworks belonging to the bank’s collections are displayed is located on the first floor. The second and third floors include the exhibition areas. On the fourth floor there is a large conference hall that can equally be seen from the square and where theatrical plays, talks, conferences, art performances and movie screenings will be held. Just in front of the hall, the visitors can read in blue neon light “We are the bank of culture and arts”, a saying by Kazım Taşkent, the founder of Yapı Kredi.
On the fifth floor of the Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts building, a library worthy of Istanbul meets with the residents of the city. This library, providing access to more than 80,000 volumes, 4,000 of which are rare books, offers the literature enthusiasts a peaceful place far away from the commotion of the Istiklal Avenue.

The Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts building opens its doors with an exhibition named “Helix,” which can be visited from September 13 until the end of the year. The exhibiton, curated by Necmi Sönmez, reflects Yapı Kredi’s vision of protective collecting and its rich accumulation in culture and arts. A total of 403 items are displayed in the exhibition, among them coins, sculptures, paintings, photographs and video art, all from Yapı Kredi Collection.

Besides the wide range of artworks from Karagöz collection to ancient coins, from modern painting to contemporary art, “Helix” also features works that will be displayed for the first time, including a self-portrait by the first Turkish femal painter Mihri Müşfik and the musical notebook of Selim III. Estergon Castle flag and a three dimensional presentation of the sound of Istiklal Avenue are among the prominent works of the exhibition.