GALLERY

rampa gallery
shaping the vanguard

After decades of looking inward, Turkey has emerged as a powerful political and cultural player in Europe and the Gulf. Its confidence bolstered by the Istanbul Modern museum and 12 biennials, each more lauded than the last, Turkey's biggest city has become a must-stop destination for international curators, art media and collectors. Last year, Sotheby's second Turkish Contemporary Art sale generated nearly $4 million with several artist sales records set. The 2011 Istanbul Biennial (page 66), which closes on 13 November and was placed by The Guardian among the "biennials that matter", featured several Turkish artists.

New galleries and spaces seem to be opening every week in Istanbul, but few have made the splash Rampa has since it opened its doors in May 2010 in the neighbourhood of Besiktas, alongside the Bosphorus. Founded by Arif and Leyla Tara Suyabatmaz, a husband and wife team of award-winning architects, the gallery's goal is to both expose new and established Turkish artists to an international audience and cultivate interest in Contemporary art among Turks.

In its short lifespan, Rampa has held eight diverse exhibitions featuring established artists from its roster such as Cengiz Çekil and the late Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin; mid-career conceptual artists such as Ayse Erkmen, who represents Turkey at the 2011 Venice Biennale; and emerging artists such as Erinç Seymen and Leyla Gediz, who work primarily in video, painting and collage. It has also raised its international profile by participating in fairs in Vienna, Hong Kong and...