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Curtains up, walls lit: Istanbul's art week is here

People gather along the waterfront as a ferry moves across the Bosporus at sunset in Besiktas, Istanbul, Türkiye, May 10, 2026. (AA Photo)
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People gather along the waterfront as a ferry moves across the Bosporus at sunset in Besiktas, Istanbul, Türkiye, May 10, 2026. (AA Photo)
May 11, 2026 06:40 PM GMT+03:00

Istanbul is set to host a wide range of cultural events this week, with performances running across theater, music and the visual arts at venues throughout the city.

Stage call

The Ataturk Cultural Center (AKM) opens the week with a packed theater lineup:

  • "Kayik Dunya" (The Boat World) — May 14
  • "Hayati Hikaye Olan Adam Sait Faik" (Sait Faik: The Man Whose Life Was a Story) — May 15
  • "Lysistrata" — May 15 and 16
  • "Swan Lake" (ballet) — May 16
  • "Simdi Telefonunuza Bir Kod Gelecek" (A Code Will Now Be Sent to Your Phone) — May 17

Zorlu PSM runs an equally busy schedule across the week:

  • "Toz" (Dust) — May 11 through June 13
  • "Bayanlar Baylar Dario Moreno: Bir Gazino Hikayesi" (Ladies and Gentlemen Dario Moreno: A Casino Story) — May 11
  • "Balli Sut" (Honey Milk) — May 12
  • "Bir Terennum" (A Song) — May 12
  • "Don Quixote" — May 12
  • "Palamut Zamani" (Bonito Season) — May 13
  • "Ezop Masallari" (Aesop's Fables) — May 17 through May 24

Also underway is IBB City Theatres' 40th "Youthful Days" (Genc Gunler) festival, which runs until May 19.

Organized by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), the event brings together 22 performing arts departments, 36 university theater clubs, three in-house productions, four panel discussions and five workshops under the theme "Are We Ready?"

Cast members greet the audience after a performance of *Insandan Kacan* at Trabzon State Theater’s Haluk Ongan Stage during the 26th International Black Sea Theater Festival in Trabzon, Türkiye, May 9, 2026. (AA Photo)
Cast members greet the audience after a performance of *Insandan Kacan* at Trabzon State Theater’s Haluk Ongan Stage during the 26th International Black Sea Theater Festival in Trabzon, Türkiye, May 9, 2026. (AA Photo)

Live and loud

The outdoor Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Stage hosts a nightly run of concerts:

  • Edis — May 11
  • An Epic Symphony-Hayko Cepkin — May 12
  • Ebru Yasar — May 14
  • Mor ve Otesi — May 15
  • Nazan Oncel — May 17

Elsewhere, American composer and singer-songwriter John Maus will perform at Blind Istanbul on May 12, while Swiss musician Fabienne Erni will take the same stage on May 13. The CRR Symphony Orchestra will present a concert at Suleyman Seba Cultural and Arts Center on May 12.

Serdar Ortac will play at the Istanbul Congress Center, Harbiye Auditorium on May 16, the same night Sertap Erener will perform at KucukCiftlik Park. Bostanci Gosteri Merkezi will round out the week with An Epic Symphony-Sibel Can on May 15, Ersay Uner on May 16 and An Epic Symphony-Mustafa Sandal on May 17.

Walls with stories

Several exhibitions are being displayed across the city:

  • AKM Art Gallery — "Insanligin Yuku Dekolonizasyonun Bugunu" (The Burden of Humanity: Decolonization Today), curated by Hasan Mert Kaya, on view as part of the first World Decolonization Forum 2026
  • Uskudar Square — "Gazze Mektuplari" (Letters from Gaza)
  • Dolmabahce Resim Muzesi — "Perde," a retrospective by Bagimsiz Sanat Vakfi founder Hulya Yazici spanning more than 30 years of work, until May 31
  • Galeri Deniz — "Ters Yuz Imgeler-Sanata Iyi Bakin," featuring works by Devrim Erbil and Akin Ekici, until May 17
  • Mesher — "Seyahat Sanati" (The Art of Travel), curated by Merve Uca, organized as part of the Koc Group's 100th anniversary
  • Beyoglu Belediyesi 6th District Art Gallery — "Bahar Nakislari" (Spring Embroideries), a solo show by Azerbaijani state artist Prof. Dr. Arif Huseynov
May 11, 2026 06:40 PM GMT+03:00
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