51
Activities
CULTURE AND ART
İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları
Kültür Yayınları was established in 1956
by Hasan Âli Yücel, the former Minister
of Education. Since then, Kültür Yayınları
has been providing Turkish readers with
publications that are both rich in content and
superior in quality.
Attracting widespread interest with its
publications, Kültür Yayınları is a publishing
house indispensable first and foremost for
researchers as well as readers in general.
By the end of 2015, Kültür Yayınları had
published more than 2.5 million publications
for readers.
İş Sanat Concert Hall
İşbank’s exhibitions and performing arts
activities have taken place under the roof
of İş Sanat since 2000. İş Sanat is one of
Turkey’s most important art platforms that
hosts the performances of leading artists
both local and from all around the world, and
also provides the space for children’s plays,
poetry readings and exhibitions.
The events organized by İş Sanat, which
works with the mission of advancing the
artistic life in the country, are among the
most prestigious in İstanbul. Having hosted
more than 1 million art lovers at nearly 1,200
events, İş Sanat is the only art platform in
Turkey and worldwide that is operated by a
bank and that belongs to a corporation.
Having celebrated its 15
th
anniversary last
season, İş Sanat held 41 concerts, 7 children’s
events and 5 poetry readings. The events of
the 15
th
season welcomed a total of 29,000
attendees.
İş Sanat Art Galleries
İşbank has operated art galleries since 1976
to exhibit works and samples from the Bank’s
collections.
İş Sanat Kibele (İstanbul) and İzmir Art
Galleries put on display the paintings,
sculptures and ceramics created not just by
established masters but also by promising
newcomers on the art scene. The Art
Collection of İşbank expands every day with
the artworks donated by artists exhibited at
the Bank’s galleries.
The Kibele Art Gallery hosted the following
exhibitions in the 2014 – 2015 season,
receiving a total of 21 thousand visitors:
Özdemir Altan, Fevzi Karakoç and Muzaffer
Akyol retrospective exhibitions; “Letters
from Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu and His
Contemporaries: We Used to Write Letters”
exhibitions. In the 2014 – 2015 season, seven
exhibitions were organized at the İzmir Art
Gallery, showcasing numerous pieces in
painting, printing and ceramics and attracting
significant public attention.
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University
– Artworks Conservation and
Restoration Laboratory
Conservation and restoration work on
artworks owned by İşbank are undertaken at
the Artworks Conservation and Restoration
Laboratory. In addition, 30 students are
currently enrolled in the University’s
Artworks Conservation and Restoration BA
program, which was established in the 2013-
2014 academic year.
Türkiye İş Bankası Müzesi (İşbank
Museum)
Having opened its doors in November
2007, İşbank Museum offers a narrative
of the Bank’s deep-rooted institutional
history and Turkey’s economic development
with documents, banking equipment,
communication devices, photographs,
pictures, advertisements, promotional
materials and films.
İşbank Museum collection mainly consists
of three-dimensional objects that depict
the transformation phases of banking in
Turkey during the Republican Period, and
objects that have become an indispensable
part of people’s daily lives. The pieces in the
collection have been obtained from İşbank’s
branches. In order to secure longevity of the
pieces, international museum protection
standards are applied to preserve the
collection for posterity.
The following exhibitions have been hosted
at the museum to date:
»
»
“1935 to Today History Written on Glass”;
»
»
“The Grand Bazaar in 10 Steps”;
»
»
“Alexandria-Hamburg: The First Two
Branches as İşbank was Opening to the
World – 1932”;
»
»
“A Money Box Story”;
»
»
“Towards a Republic: The Way to Freedom
and Independence (1919-1923)”;
»
»
“Atatürk and the Republic in Pictures – A
Nation Building Story (1923-1938)”;
»
»
“From the Depths to the Trenches:
Çanakkale (Gallipoli) 1915.”
The 100
th
year anniversary of the Çanakkale
(Gallipoli) victory, which was a milestone
in the world history, was celebrated with a
special exhibition hosted in the museum.
Savaş Karakaş was the curator of this
exhibit in which the sea and land battles
were separated into thematic parts. Prof. Dr.
Haluk Oral served as exhibition consultant.
The exhibition opened on 7 March 2015 and
received more than 102 thousand visitors
until its close on 15 August 2015.
The following workshops targeted at
children are currently being conducted
at the museum: Smart Budgeting and
Saving, Money Management, Museum
Memory, and Reading with the Authors.
Additionally, financial literacy training
courses are provided for adults. In the 2014
– 2015 academic year, around 10 thousand
individuals participated in the workshops at
the museum.
İşbank Museumwelcomed some 171,735
visitors in 2015. The total number of
museum visitors since the initial opening of
the museum has exceeded 550,000.
Zeugma Ancient City “House of the
Muses” excavation sponsorship
Excavations that began in 1987 in the
ancient city of Zeugma, situated on
the banks of Birecik Reservoir in the
southeastern province of Gaziantep’s Nizip
district, which is one of Turkey’s important
historic and cultural centers, are in progress.
The objects discovered in the excavations are
displayed in the Zeugma Open Air Museum.
Discovered in 2007, “House of the Muses” is
one of the excavation sites in the ancient city
of Zeugma, with each excavation site being
an individual project. As it was considered
that the excavations to be undertaken in the
ancient city would contribute significantly
to the preservation of our country’s cultural
heritage, İşbank decided to undertake the
sponsorship of the “House of the Muses”
excavation for a period of 5 years starting
from 2012.
İstanbul Culture and Arts Foundation –
International İstanbul Music Festival
As member of the Board of Trustees of
the İstanbul Culture and Arts Foundation,
İşbank sponsored the Magdalena Ko
ž
ená,
Emmanuelle Haïm & Les Solistes du Concert
d’Astrée concert at the Hagia Irene Museum
as part of the 43
rd
İstanbul Music Festival.
