The Kültür Medeniyet Vakfı (KÜME) opened its ArtıKÜME 2025 and ODAK exhibitions at Karaköy Palas in Istanbul on Saturday, featuring 25 projects across disciplines from digital art to calligraphy under the theme 'Mümkün' ('Possible'). The exhibition transforms the historic Karaköy Palas into a platform for experimental and process-driven works, with artists like Muharrem Dalhan presenting interactive installations such as 'Threshold,' which critiques algorithm-driven media environments. The ODAK project was also introduced as a platform tracking cultural production across Türkiye, with its first publication, the ODAK 2025 book, launched alongside the exhibition.
This exhibition matters because it represents a deliberate fusion of heritage restoration with contemporary art, positioning cultural spaces as sites for both preservation and experimentation. The involvement of high-profile figures—Selçuk Bayraktar, chairperson of KÜME's board of trustees, and Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy—underscores the initiative's policy significance, linking functional restoration of historical assets to societal engagement and sustainability. The theme 'Mümkün' and the focus on unrealized ideas reflect a broader cultural conversation about art's role in preserving human identity amid technological change, making this a notable event for Turkey's contemporary art scene.