An Istanbul Art Fair’s Chairman Has Apologized for a Mass Email Defending Turkey’s Invasion of Syria—But a Staff Exodus Has Begun

The chairman of the Contemporary
Istanbul art fair, Ali Güreli, has walked back an astonishing email he
circulated earlier this month that strongly defended the
Turkish invasion of northern Syria and urged fair goers not to
believe “black propaganda” about the slaughter of Kurds in the
region.

In a follow-up email on October
18, Güreli admitted that his initial missive was “entirely
inappropriate” and that he is rethinking the fair’s governance as a
result. But that may be too little too late for Contemporary
Istanbul. Its artistic director, Anissa Touati, and entire
selection committee, have stepped down in response to Güreli’s
comments, artnet News has learned.

“I sincerely apologize for the shock [my email] may have caused to all our friends in the art world, to our
partners, to my colleagues at Contemporary Istanbul, and to my
family,” Güreli wrote in his second email. He said that it was
written in his name only, and not in his capacity as the fair’s
chairman, though it was sent out on Contemporary Istanbul
letterhead and signed “Ali Güreli, Chairman.”

Güreli, however, continued his
attack on the media and news reports that the fair is financially
supported by the Turkish government. Güreli wrote that
“despite what some news
outlets claim, CI has been, since the beginning, an independent
organization, sponsored by the private sector.” While it is true
that the fair’s main sponsor is the privately owned Akbank, the
Republic of Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality are both listed as sponsors on
its website.

“I was in no position to comment
on Turkey’s political context, which is very complex, and it was
wrong for me to do so, especially given the circumstances,” Güreli
writes, adding that “emotions” drove his actions. The internal
source told artnet News that Güreli was expected to step down
last Friday, but that has not come to pass.

A spokesperson for the fair told artnet News that Güreli has
been talking with the board about various “different solutions,”
one of which had seen him consider stepping down as chairman.
“However after careful consideration, he does not think at this
stage that it is the best solution for the future of Contemporary
Istanbul,” the spokesperson says. “He is convinced, nonetheless,
that it is necessary to rethink the corporate governance of
Contemporary Istanbul so that this situation never happens
again.”

The spokesperson also confirmed the other team departures.
“Several members of the organization have expressed the desire to
contribute to the discussions to build this new corporate
governance, others have expressed indeed a different view about it
and the desire to step down.”

The representative said the fair will share an update on the new
governance strategy in a couple of weeks.

The post An Istanbul Art Fair’s Chairman Has Apologized for
a Mass Email Defending Turkey’s Invasion of Syria—But a Staff
Exodus Has Begun appeared first on artnet News.