Ekonomim.com / The funds raised for İKSV's Young Artist Fund have reached 28 million Turkish liras

Ergun Gümrah, a consultant for Aktif Bank under the Çalık Holding umbrella, called to extend an invitation:

• "We are expecting you in London from October 12-14, 2024, as part of Aktif Bank’s event."

Along with four colleagues, I attended the gala night held in London for the benefit of İKSV's Young Artist Fund, hosted by Aktif Bank's CEO Ayşegül Adaca Oğan, Customer Experience and Communications Group President Gamze Numanoğlu, and Corporate Communications Director Duygu Özgüç Evren.

Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı and General Director Görgün Taner welcomed 450 guests at the Natural History Museum in London, where the event took place.

The evening's host, actor Halit Ergenç, shared information about the İKSV Young Artist Fund:

• İKSV established the Young Artist Fund in 2022 to support artistic production as part of its 50th-anniversary initiatives.
• Fundraising events held in May in Istanbul and in October in London have provided approximately $600,000 to the fund. 
• Over the past two years, the fund has supported many young artists with $230,000. For example, eight young artists had the opportunity to participate in three-month programs in Paris focusing on their artistic fields.
  

“İKSV Genç Sanatçı Fonu” ile yapılanları şöyle özetledi:

• The fund supports the projects of young, creative artists working in film, theater, dance, music, and contemporary art. It commissions new works, creates opportunities for young artists to participate in festivals, and offers international opportunities.
  

Bülent Eczacıbaşı emphasized the importance of support for the Young Artist Fund at the gala night, sponsored by Istanbul Portföy, with partners Vitra, Mey/Diageo, Christie's, and Eren Holding:

• "We organized gala nights in Istanbul and London to support the Young Artist Fund, which we established during İKSV’s 50th anniversary. We called the London event 'Istanbul Calling.' Through the funds raised, we are reaching young artists across the country." 

Then he added:

• İKSV contributes to shaping the future of the cultural and artistic world through the "Young Artist Fund." Established in 2022, the fund provides approximately $100,000 annually to support young talents. 

The art pieces donated for the support race were as follows:

• Erol Akyavaş: Hallac-ı Mansur Series (1995), acrylic and gold leaf on handmade paper, donated by İlhan Akyavaş, sold for £45,000.
• Nejad Devrim: Abstract Composition (1980-1982), donated by Veronica Devrim, sold for £22,000.
• Osman Dinç: Three Marabous (2024), stainless steel with electrostatic paint, donated by the artist, sold for £20,000.
• Nuri İyem: Untitled (1954), oil on hardboard, donated by the İyem family, sold for £18,000.
• Alev Ebüzziya Siesbye: (title not specified, 2022-2023), high-fired ceramic, donated by the artist, sold for £45,000.
• Fausto Zonaro: (title not specified, 1906), oil on wood, donated by Prof. Münir Ekonomi from his personal collection, sold for £24,000.

The auction was led by Beatriz Ordovas, Christie's International Director, Head of Digital for Europe, and an expert in 20th-century art.

The highlight of the evening was the "support race," where six significant art pieces were auctioned, raising a total of £174,000 (approximately $226,000 or 7.7 million Turkish lira). With the previous $600,000, the total resources raised for the Young Artist Fund now stand at $826,000, equivalent to 28 million Turkish lira at current exchange rates.

Eczacıbaşı concluded with a message about the importance of supporting the arts:

• "Culture and art do not thrive without support in any country. In some countries, public support is strong, but even there, public funding is decreasing. The role of private support, as in our case, will become more prominent."
  

İKSV, with the "Young Artist Fund" it established in 2022, provides support to young talents at a level of 100,000 dollars annually...

For the sustainability of this, the "Support Race" needs to continue uninterrupted...

Don’t expect short-term returns, but it will contribute to your image in the long run

The team behind İKSV’s "İstanbul Calling Special Gala" in support of the "Young Artist Fund" included the following members:

• Okşan Atilla Sanön, Didem Beyhan, Didem Ermiş Sezer, Kevser Güler, Yeşim Gürer Oymak, Zeynep Karaman, Burak Kayıkçı, Atamer Coşkun, Kamil Kulaksız, Pelin Kuş, Erim Pala, Zeynep Pekgöz, Erim Şerifoğlu, Görgün Taner, Melis Turanlıgil, Mustafa Yegen.

Among the business figures present at the event, which was also attended by Turkey’s Ambassador to London, Osman Koray Ertaş, were:

• Ahmet Eren, Hamdi Akın, Hasan Ulusoy, Suzan Sabancı, Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ, Hanzade Doğan Boyner, Emin Hitay, Ergun Özen, Levent Kızıl, Oya Eczacıbaşı, Serpil Timuray, Derviş Çokyaşar, Barış Öney, Zehra Öney, Nezih Barut, Şule Zorlu, Cem Köksal, Tülay Güngen, Mehmet Kutman, Serhat Çeçen, Tufan Deriner, Öznur Yakın, Bekir Kaya, Ruken Mızraklı, Melkan Gürsel.

During a conversation at the table hosted by Ayşegül Adaca Oğan, CEO of Aktif Bank, İKSV Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı emphasized the following about the business world’s support for arts and culture:

• "Supporting arts and culture does not yield short-term returns. It doesn’t create an immediate advertising effect. However, long-term support significantly contributes to a company’s image over time. Support limited to 3-5 years will be wasted for that company."
  

The man is still handsome

At the "Young Talent Fund" gala held at the London Natural History Museum, 77-year-old artist Erol Evgin took the stage and made the following joke, pointing to the whale fossil hanging from the ceiling:

• "There was actually a dinosaur here. I asked the museum management, 'Don’t create competition, I don’t want that dinosaur hanging there while I’m performing,' so they changed it."

Evgin concluded his performance with the words:

• "My friends in the orchestra and I truly enjoyed singing with you all this evening. I will always remember this night. When you talk about it, don’t forget to say, 'The man is still handsome.'"

Preparing for Globalturk Capital Investor Conference

At İKSV’s "Young Artist Fund Gala," I spoke with Barış Öney, Co-Founder of Globalturk Capital, and asked about his observations on capital inflows into Turkey. He replied:

• "Hot money is flowing in. However, it will take a bit more time for longer-term, permanent capital inflows."

He then shared:

• "We are organizing the 'Private Equity Investment Conference in Turkey and Surrounding Regions' again this month, with the support of the Presidency’s Investment Office. There is a lot of interest in our conference."