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How Demet and Alphan Eşeli’s INSTANBUL’74 Reimagines Turkey’s Role in the Global Arts Scene

"It’s about creating spaces where people can come together, share ideas and build something meaningful,” Demet told Observer.

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Sep 17, 2025 - 18:00

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How Demet and Alphan Eşeli’s INSTANBUL’74 Reimagines Turkey’s Role in the Global Arts Scene

Portrait of Alphan EÅeli and Demet MÃ¼ftÃ¼oÄlu EÅeli in a stylish, book-filled interior; she sits in a leather chair, he stands casually.

Istanbul has long stood as a bridge between cultures, with the Bosphorus serving as a gateway between Asia and Europe. Although recent political shifts have complicated the city’s role as an international cultural hub, private patrons continue working to ensure that Istanbul—and Turkey more broadly—remains a platform for global cultural exchange. At the center of this effort over the past decade is the multidisciplinary cultural platform ISTANBUL’74, founded by patrons and cultural producers Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli and Alphan Eşeli. Positioned at the intersection of art, design, fashion and film, the organization has become a vital connector between Turkey’s creative scene and the international stage, fostering dialogue across borders and amplifying the enduring vibrancy of the country’s artistic landscape.

This mission has been most visible through the launch of the IST. Festival (formerly the Istanbul International Arts & Culture Festival) in 2010—a highly regarded gathering that unites artists, thinkers, writers, filmmakers and designers from around the world for interdisciplinary exchange. As ISTANBUL’74 prepares for the festival’s 15th edition this September, we sat down with Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli and Alphan Eşeli on a bright early summer afternoon in the West Village to discuss their vision, the evolution of both the festival and the organization and its place within Turkey’s rapidly shifting cultural ecosystem.

The festival began in an unexpectedly casual way—as a handful of panels. “We partnered with Jefferson Hack in London and invited guests, without many expectations,” Müftüoğlu Eşeli told Observer. “When we reached out to people, when we first dreamed up this festival—bringing together different disciplines from around the world—they really loved the idea. And then, once some amazing names confirmed, it started to grow on its own.” Coinciding with Istanbul’s nomination as European Capital of Culture in 2010, the first edition attracted established figures including Gore Vidal, Zaha Hadid, Sir V. S. Naipaul, Franca Sozzani, Elif Shafak, Stephen Frears, Taner Ceylan, Kim Jones and Leyla Umar.

From the outset, their aim was to build a platform that was genuinely multidisciplinary, explains Alphan Eşeli, himself an award-winning film director, screenwriter, producer and photographer. “Not much of this had been done before. It wasn’t just about art—it was also literature, fashion, music,” he said. “The idea was to bring all of these voices together with their Turkish counterparts. That was the main motivation: creating cultural encounters and giving artists the chance to gain exposure beyond their own geography.”

When the IST. Festival launched fifteen years ago, Turkey—and Istanbul in particular—felt far more central to the international art and creative scene. The city drew a steady influx of global curators, collectors and artists, attracted by its Biennial, its rising contemporary art fair, ambitious institutional programming and a palpable sense of cultural momentum. Events like the Istanbul Biennial and Contemporary Istanbul were gaining international traction, and the city hosted a growing number of talks, residencies and cross-cultural collaborations. Today, that energy has significantly waned, and both the Biennial and the fair are seen as far less appealing to the global art circuit. Istanbul’s cultural and artistic scene has been strained by shifting politics, economic instability, institutional fatigue and the looming threat of government interference and censorship. Even the 18th Istanbul Biennial—originally slated for September 2024 and now postponed to 2025—has been mired in controversy.

Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli and Alphan Eşeli remain convinced, however, that despite political turmoil, nothing can stop artists from doing what they do—especially if they’re given the right platform for expression and exchange. Censorship today may be ubiquitous, but artists continue to create.

In this context, the festival takes on an especially timely theme—not only relevant in Turkey but globally—by examining the increasingly blurred, liminal space between perception and truth. At its core lies a question as old as philosophy yet more urgent than ever: “What is real?” In a world increasingly mediated and digitalized, with performative social rituals and shifting modes of perception, the festival provides a platform for artists, philosophers, intellectuals and creatives to explore how reality is shaped, fractured and reimagined.

Reality, after all, has never been fixed—it is molded, manipulated and continually bent to the needs of those who construct it. Art becomes a tool for reshaping and reimagining reality, offering alternative visions, subverting dominant narratives and exposing the fragile seams of perception. In doing so, it underscores our vulnerability at sensorial, cognitive and emotional levels.

The 15th edition of the IST. Festival, titled “What is Really Real?”, will unfold through a series of thought-provoking panels, conversations and debates. Bridging disciplines and opening space for critical thinking, speculation and exchange, it invites artists, thinkers and audiences alike to interrogate the fault lines between the authentic and the artificial today. This year’s lineup features notable figures from across creative industries, including celebrated artist José Parlá, Judd Foundation artistic director Flavin Judd, collector Désiré Freule, actor Waris Ahluwalia, director Paweł Pawlikowski and Cultured editor Julia Halperin, among others.

Over the past fifteen years, the IST. Festival has staged events across a wide range of venues—museums, cultural institutions, historic buildings—hosting gala dinners at sites like Topkapı Palace and panels at Istanbul Modern. Deeply embedded in the city’s cultural fabric, the festival has consistently received support from the government and the Ministry of Culture. For the first time, the festival is also partnering with Istanbul Globetrotter, which will launch a new city guide during the event, offering a curated perspective on Istanbul’s creative and cultural landscapes.

Alongside its nomadic programming, the organization maintains a permanent home at the restored ’74 Gallery in Arnavutköy, a Bosphorus-side neighborhood in the Beşiktaş district. Housed in a three- to four-story historical yalı (waterside mansion), the space hosts contemporary exhibitions while honoring the ties to tradition and history embedded in the building itself. Presenting a diverse range of exhibitions and interdisciplinary events, the gallery has become a creative hub and connector for both local and international artists. For this edition of the festival, however, the goal is to move beyond the gallery’s walls—activating the neighborhood and transforming the city into a living laboratory, where installations, performances and ephemeral interventions disrupt and reframe the rhythms of everyday life.

Ultimately, one of the festival’s core aims is to reclaim its role as an international platform—inviting people from abroad, connecting them with local creatives, and demonstrating just how vibrant and alive the cultural scene in Istanbul, and in Turkey more broadly, still is.

As the conversation turns to how the art and cultural ecosystem is evolving—not only in Turkey but globally—Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli and Alphan Eşeli agree that we are witnessing a sweeping transformation across creative industries. Technological shifts, the pandemic and the rise of A.I. have accelerated changes already underway. “I’m a filmmaker, and if you just look at cinema, the landscape has completely changed,” Alphan Eşeli noted. “I believe we’re living through a historic moment of profound change—something as seismic as the Industrial Revolution, which didn’t just reshape production but altered how people thought and how they engaged with the world.”

Today, we stand on the cusp of a similarly radical transformation, this time driven by computers and digital technology. “I don’t think it’s possible to remain untouched by it—especially in the arts. The way we create, think and communicate is already changing,” he said. “In cinema alone, the rise of streaming platforms, social media and algorithm-driven content has been a total shift. And I see Turkish artists and creatives at the forefront—many actively explore and embrace new technologies in their work.”

After a surprising detour into the global rise of Turkish soap operas—currently and somewhat unexpectedly, outpacing even K-movies in popularity—Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli and Alphan Eşeli return to a core point: Turkey has a huge youth population, and with it a growing wave of young artists who are deeply attuned to what’s new. “There’s definitely still an underground scene evolving, especially in a city like Istanbul,” they noted. The younger generation is also far more connected to global currents, largely thanks to social media. “That kind of access and awareness is moving so much faster than it did 20 years ago, back when the internet was still limited,” Demet added. “Now, communication between international communities happens almost instantly, and I think the arts are becoming increasingly interconnected because of it.”

Through ISTANBUL’74, the Eşelis are working to amplify and facilitate these exchanges, building bridges through new formats and channels—including Instagram, where they are notably active. Their extended ecosystem, ’74GROUP, produces culturally relevant stories across multiple divisions, spanning everything from the festival itself to ’74PODCAST, which hosts ongoing talks with creatives from around the world, and ’74ONLINE, a shop dedicated to curated collaborations with artists, galleries and designers. Also under its umbrella is ’74STUDIO, a creative agency that specializes in brand direction, strategy, design and communications across art, fashion, gastronomy and hospitality.

As if that weren’t enough, they also co-founded the arts and social club CLUBHOUSE BEBEK in Istanbul and launched a seasonal creative space in Bodrum: 74ESCAPE, a community-based platform that features a store championing craft and design alongside an online diary spotlighting travel and culture from around the world.

Even the permanent gallery, ISTANBUL’74, has evolved into a year-round site for activations and creative connections—not only through an artist residency program for international talents but also as a gathering place for Istanbul’s younger generation. “That’s really the spirit behind what we’re doing, with the art combining with book clubs and the record and vinyl listening room,” Demet concluded. “It’s about creating spaces where people can come together, share ideas and build something meaningful.”

The Istanbul International Arts and Culture Festival (IST. FESTIVAL) takes place October 10-12, 2025.