Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum hosted the exhibition titled The Living Pyramid, by Agnes Denes, a pioneering artist of ecological art.
Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum is an institution that delivers transformative cultural experiences. SSM is committed to preserving, researching, developing and interpreting its collections and the holistic art heritage of Türkiye while creating common values with all its stakeholders in its exhibitions and events.
SSM Collections
Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum hosted the exhibition titled The Living Pyramid, by Agnes Denes, a pioneering artist of ecological Sakıp Sabancı Museum Book Arts and Calligraphy Collection offers a comprehensive perspective on five centuries of Ottoman calligraphy art. The collection encompasses a variety of items, including rare handwritten copies of the Koran, as well as various kıtas, murakkas, calligraphic compositions, hilyes, imperial decrees and tools used by calligraphers.
In the rooms on the lower floor of Atlı Köşk are Western-style furniture and decorative art pieces inspired by late Rococo, Neo-Classical, and Empire styles, used by the Sabancı family. These rooms also house 19th-century decorative artwork. art.
Turkish Painting: In the Pursuit of Modernism
Sakıp Sabancı Museum Painting Collection is a personal collection focusing on a specific period of Turkish painting as well as a cultural legacy that provides insight into the early development of painting in Türkiye. The exhibition Turkish Painting: In the Pursuit of Modernism traces the trajectory of Westernization in the Ottoman Empire, spanning from artistic expressions reflecting the history of the late Ottoman era to the intellectual endeavors of the Republic generation.
As part of the exhibition, the series “Talks on Turkish Art” featured art historians, academics, and writers discussing the modernization process extending from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic of Türkiye and addressing artists of that period.
Agnes Denes. The Living Pyramid
Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum hosted the exhibition titled The Living Pyramid, by Agnes Denes, a pioneering artist of ecological art. Sponsored by Sabancı Holding, with communication sponsorship by Çimsa, the exhibition vividly portrays humanity’s relationship with nature as a metaphor for our existence in the world. The artwork, along with Agnes Denes’s Manifesto written in 1969, was on display in the SSM garden until October 31, 2023.
Held as part of the exhibition, “The Living Pyramid Talks” series brought together art historians, academics and writers to discuss Agnes Denes’s artistic practice in its various aspects.
SSM Learning Programs
Programs for Children
SSM Learning Programs, designed for children of different age groups, continued in 2023 with workshops on topics such as painting, science, nature, conservation, archaeology, and abstract art, paralleling current exhibitions and SSM collections. In addition, guided tours for school groups were organized throughout the year.
SSM Learning Programs also hosted workshops called “Pusetli Aileler (Stroller Families),” focusing on texture, shape, and color concepts for babies aged 18-24 months.
On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, recognized by the United Nations annually on December 3rd, Sabancı Foundation, in collaboration with the Inclusive Atta Festival, supported and organized inclusive performances, workshops, and discussions for children and young people with special needs on December 2-3, 2023.
Programs for Adults
SSM Learning Programs for Adults organized workshops on various topics throughout the year.
The “Mindfulness at the Museum (Müzede An’da)” program, inspired by the concept of mindfulness and rooted in art therapy, was launched in 2023. Based on an in-depth exploration of eight selected works from the Turkish Painting: In the Pursuit of Modernism exhibition, the program serves as a means for visitors to deeply comprehend their emotions and thoughts.
Mindfulness at the Museum can be experienced via QR codes placed alongside artworks in the museum and on Sakıp Sabancı Museum’s website. The program is conducted in Turkish.
SSM also continues to conduct art therapy workshops with the active participation of visitors, facilitated by art therapist Seren Pehlivanoğlu İlkdoğan, both onsite and online.
Outdoor Events
The Stage at the Museum
Organized with the support of Sabancı Foundation since 2017, The Stage at the Museum hosts culturally significant events through performing arts.
This year’s edition, held from August 17 to 20, focused on understanding shared human experiences under the theme “Hep Yan Yana (Side by Side, Always).
Featuring renowned actor Genco Erkal alongside Tülay Günal, Dostlar Tiyatrosu presented Yaşamaya Dair, while the Talimhane Tiyatrosu presented their production Harika Şeyler Listesi, starring the young and talented actor Bora Akkaş, and Herkes Kocama Benziyor by Kadıköy Emek Theater, led by Pınar Güntürkün, named the Most Successful Female Actor at the 2022 Afife Theater Awards, along with the highly acclaimed play Ne Olacak Bu Yusuf Umut’un Hali by Hakan Emre Ünal, from Theater Hemhal, took the stage at Fıstıklı Teras, one of Istanbul’s most scenic venues. The program also included children’s plays, storytelling sessions, a sound workshop, and dance performances.
Yoga
A highly popular annual series, “Yoga at the Museum” was held on the terrace of SSM with sweeping views of the Bosporus between June and September in 2023.
Special yoga sessions were held in June to commemorate the 10th anniversary of yoga events at SSM.
SSM Gift Shop
Sakıp Sabancı Museum Gift Shop (SSM Gift Shop) features unique products and services that enable art enthusiasts to cherish enduring culture and art experiences. Open to everyone with its physical store and digital platform, SSM Gift Shop closely collaborates with designers and design material suppliers. Through these collaborations, SSM Gift Shop is committed to being accessible, innovative and distinctive in the products and services it offers, in conjunction with SSM’s permanent collections and temporary exhibitions.
SSM Gift Shop operates with a conscientious regard for social responsibility and sustainability in conducting its museum retailing activities.
