Once Upon a Time Now Exhibition, Covering Beyoğlu's Memory, Opens Its Doors
Prepared in partnership with Canopy Istanbul Taksim and Pi Artworks, the group exhibition brings Beyoğlu's multi-layered structure together with art enthusiasts.
Brought to life through the collaboration of Canopy Istanbul Taksim and Pi Artworks and curated by Yasemin Bay, the group exhibition Once Upon a Time Now has opened its doors to visitors.
Institutional Collaboration and Venue of the Exhibition
Located at the center of Istanbul's cultural and artistic life, Canopy Istanbul Taksim hosts contemporary art productions with an approach that establishes a bond with the region's texture.
Realized within this scope, the Once Upon a Time Now exhibition is organized as a joint effort between the venue and Pi Artworks, which operates on the Istanbul-London axis.
Artists Bringing Different Disciplines Together
The works of nine artists from different generations represented by Pi Artworks are presented in a wide range extending from painting to sculpture and ceramics.
The selection features names such as Nancy Atakan, Rugül Serbest, Antonio Cosentino, Kemal Seyhan, and Ayten Turanlı, alongside Güneş Acur, Osman Dinç, Erdal Duman, and Albano Hernández.
The Living Memory and Layers of Beyoğlu
The exhibition takes its starting point from Beyoğlu's structure, which has never belonged to a single period or identity, carrying the traces of the past into the present.
The district, where different cultures and lifestyles are added to one another, is treated as a living memory where each era leaves a mark on the one before it.
Evaluations by Curator Yasemin Bay
Curator Yasemin Bay emphasizes that the past in Beyoğlu is never completely left behind, and that different periods and stories continue to live on the same surface.
She states that instead of trapping the artists' diverse productions into a single narrative, they aimed to create space for these layers to exist side by side.
Relationship Between Artistic Practices and Memory
Shaped around the concepts of memory, city, time, and material, the artists' practices make different equivalents of the idea of layering visible.
While Nancy Atakan explores the transformation of personal memory into collective narrative, Rugül Serbest focuses on the traces of the past in the present and emotional experiences.
Reflections of Material and Urban Transformation
Antonio Cosentino reconstructs Istanbul's architectural and social transformation with a critical perspective, turning urban details into visual memory.
While Kemal Seyhan creates depth with layers of paint, Ayten Turanlı reinterprets the organic texture of the material through a contemporary ceramic language.
Visit Information and Date Range
Bringing together works by ten artists from Turkey and around the world, the Once Upon a Time Now exhibition is followed with great interest by art enthusiasts.
The comprehensive group exhibition can be visited free of charge at Canopy Istanbul Taksim until November 15, 2026.