The arts diary

Cornucopia’s choice: Turkey with a twist – the best current shows in Istanbul and around the world

All events

JOHN DYSON’S JAZZ PICKS

Bova Jazz Club Highlights

Jazz
June 30, 2026 – July 31, 2026 21.30 (doors open 21.00)
Bova Jazz Club, Beyoğlu, Istanbul
JOHN DYSON’S JAZZ PICKS

Nardis Jazz Club Highlights

Jazz
June 30, 2026 – July 31, 2026 21.30 (doors open 20.30)
Nardis Jazz Club, Beyoğlu, Istanbul
Performance

Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra 2026 Concert Tour
July 25, 2026 – August 12, 2026
PHOTOGRAPHY

Feruz Ertürer: ‘Another World Flourishing Wherever He Looks’
February 13, 2026 – August 16, 2026
Bulgur Palas, Fatih, Istanbul
Exhibition

In Bloom

How Plants Changed our World
March 19, 2026 – August 16, 2026
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Exhibition

Rørbye and Bindesbøll: The Journey to Constantinople

An artist and an architect on a voyage
February 5, 2026 – August 23, 2026
David Collection, Denmark
Exhibition

By the Water: The Life and Art of Halil Paşa

Suyun Kıyısında: Halil Paşa’nın Yaşamı ve Sanatı
March 5, 2026 – August 23, 2026
The Pera Museum, Beyoğlu, Istanbul
ONLINE TALK

The Levantine Frank Community in Athens under Ottoman Rule

Online Talk
September 1, 2026 6.00pm (UK time)
London
EXHIBITION

Semiha Berksoy: Aria of All Colours
January 22, 2026 – September 5, 2026
Istanbul Modern, Tophane, Istanbul
MUSIC FESTIVAL

23rd International Gümüşlük Music Festival
July 17, 2026 – September 6, 2026
Bodrum
CLASSICAL MUSIC

Gülsin Onay Summer 2026
May 30, 2026 – September 6, 2026
Gülsin Onay Summer 2026
May 28, 2026 – September 9, 2026
Gülsin Onay Summer 2026
May 28, 2026 – September 9, 2026
EXHIBITION

Cannes!
April 22, 2026 – October 11, 2026
Ara Güler Museum, Şişli
Contemporary art

Dreams and Places

Photography at Istanbul Modern
February 19, 2026 – October 18, 2026
Istanbul Modern
Exhibitions

The Arab Hall: Past and Present
March 21, 2026 – October 21, 2026
Leighton House Museum, London
Art

Ella Maillart: Photographic Encounters
March 6, 2026 – November 1, 2026
Lausanne, Lausanne
EXHIBITION

It’s So Difficult to Love You!

Exhibition of Work by Mehtap Baydu
July 6, 2026 – November 15, 2026
Arter, Dolapdere
Seminar

TRAVELLERS IN OTTOMAN LANDS: Salonica, Rumeli and Beyond…

Call for Papers
Retrospective

Yoko Ono: Insound and Instructure
June 25, 2026 – December 27, 2026
Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Emirgan, Istanbul
EXHIBITION

Atlas 1/137,035999

Exhibition of Work by Tayfun Erdoğmuş
July 6, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Arter, Dolapdere
EXHIBITION

All Phanar Is Here

Household, Neighborhood, Court, and the City
June 28, 2026 – January 24, 2027
ANAMED Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations, ISTANBUL
Exhibition

Orientalism: Between Fact and Fantasy
June 12, 2026 – February 28, 2027
The Metropolitan Museum, New York
EXHIBITION

The Sky Was Candy

Group Exhibition Around the Notions of ‘Home’ and ‘Homeland’
July 25, 2026 – March 27, 2027
Arter, Dolapdere
Art

Ars Apodemica

The art of travel: From the Sadberk Hanım and Ömer Koç Collections
May 8, 2026 – May 23, 2027
Meşher, Beyoğlu, Istanbul