Interview by Hatice Utkan
Published in City Brief
Emin Mahir Balcıoğlu is the man behind the art scene, having developed many museums in Turkey and directed a number of fairs. Currently directing the Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair, Balcıoğlu thinks each museum is like a screenplay, as all museums tell a story through their works
He created Sakıp Sabancı Museum, he was the director of the Museum of Modern Art in Istanbul and has worked with Agha Khan Association throughout his life devoted to art.
He started as an academic before the Agha Khan Association approached him in 1982.
“For 14 years I worked for them on cultural projects in Spain in Italy and other parts of the world, the third world,” he said in a recent interview with the Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review’s City Brief Supplement.
“Then later on in my career, I focused on developing museums. I had the privilege of experiencing and managing museums in different parts of the world. It give me the chance to go to Zanzibar and Canada,” he said.
According to Balcıoğlu, there are very different approaches in terms of creating a museum.
“In Turkey, for example, we have some collectors. Those people have a passion to collect After a certain period, they want to share it with public and it is something which remains after their death. Like Sabancı’s case,” he said.
“The other approach is, you go to a place and you realize that there is a need,” said Balcıoğlu. “For example in Zanzibar we realized that there is no maritime museum. There was no collection and we started collecting to make the museum.”
Museums are like screenplays, according to Balcıoğlu.
“You should have a story to tell through the objects,” he said.
“There should be an object to describe a story, which needs to be fun. Not just a hanging on the wall.”
The mission of modern museums is primarily education, said Balcıoğlu adding that museums should be fun places to go. “It must attract people,” he noted.
The collection is an important aspect for a museum but modern museums do not only focus on collection, said Balcıoğlu, adding that there has to be temporary exhibitions in the museums.
“It should renew itself. At least two three a year, there has to be novelty to it. It has to reinterpret itself in time,” Balcıoğlu said.
Asked whether cultural management has evolved in Turkey, Balcıoğlu said, “In a way, it is very new realm.
Turkey is a country in transformation, said Balcıoğlu.
“I have been involved in the philanthropic aspects of art since the early 1990s. I can see the evolution of sponsorship businesses for art events. It was much harder then now. Now most of the associations have the strategy on what they would like to spend their money on art,” he said.
So there has been great evolution, according to Balcıoğlu.
“But of course, we are not there yet,” he said, adding that cultural management will become important subject matter. “I had the opportunity to teach a course on it at Istanbul Bilgi University.”
There has been a lot of interest for culture and management issues, Balcıoğlu added. “People realize that in the future there will be a lot of work in this area. That there will be a lot of money diverted to cultures and arts.”
Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair
The Contemporary Istanbul started nine years ago with the title “Art Istanbul,” thanks to Ali Güreli.
“Four years ago, we decided to make this an international event and we changed its name,” said Balcıoğlu.
“Contemporary Istanbul Fair is going up, in terms of increasing the quality and number of participants,” said Balcıoğlu.
The fair was indirectly hit by the crisis last year, but Turkish galleries were in a good position, he said. The situation was not the same for foreign art galleries, however.
“To participate to an art fair involved a really good economic situation,” he said, adding that it was a major investment with its transportation and accommodation fees.
This year it is expected that there will be an incredible amount of applications to contemporary art Istanbul.
“Last year Turkish galleries went home very happy, and some of them managed to sell lots of works,” he said.
“Foreign galleries could not sell very high amounts because Turkish collectors are just beginning to buy foreign art,” said Balcıoğlu.
The current situation for Turkish art is very bright, he said.
“There is a serious increase in the prices. Collectors on the market are seeking more works. If someone told me 10 years ago that Turkish contemporary art would be selling at these prices in auctions I would not have believed it. They were not even in the auctions.”
This situation also proves that Turkish art is now synchronized with the developments in the world.
Balcıoğlu also suggests that if people can find good Turkish art, they should buy now. “The works of Turkish artists are still undervalued,” he added.
Iranian Art
Each year contemporary art Istanbul tries to focus on one neighboring country so as to be a regional center.
“Last year it was Syria. This year it will be Iran. There will be galleries from Tehran and London,” Balcıoğlu said.
Iranian art is developed because they have a tradition of collecting back to 1960s, said Balcıoğlu.
“We are trying to attract international artists and collectors,” he added.