Contemporary Istanbul, the premium and largest art fair in Turkey, has announced its 7th edition to be held at the Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) and the Istanbul Congress Center. Running from 22 - 25 November, the fair will offer a comprehensive range of Turkish and international art including painting, sculpture, video works, installation and limited editions from local and international galleries.

Featuring over 100 galleries including GALERIST, Galeri MANA, Dirimart, Marlborough Gallery, Haunch of Venison, MaM-Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art, and approximately 600 artists, the 7th edition of Contemporary Istanbul will be the largest yet.

Mr. Ali Gureli, Chairman of fair says: "We are excited to present the most comprehensive edition of Contemporary Istanbul to date, whilst contributing to Istanbul’s cultural and gravitational pull, helping it to become a hub for the arts and support contemporary artists from Turkey".

2012 marks a unique year for Contemporary Istanbul. In honour of 400 years of diplomatic relations between Turkey and the Netherlands, Contemporary Istanbul is hosting a selection of Dutch galleries; including Grimm Gallery, Galerie Akinci, and a number of Dutch artists, gallerists and collectors will participate in the fair’s panel discussion program, CI dialogues, which this year takes as its theme 'Art as a collective space'.

A section entitled as 'New Horizons' explores contemporary artistic expression of the surrounding countries in the region. Having previously featured contemporary art from Syria, Iran and the Gulf countries, in this 7th edition the focus is on Central and Eastern Europe, with Contemporary Istanbul playing host to galleries such as Galerie Vernon, Molnar Ani Galeria, amongst many others, along with artists, curators, publications, art critics and collectors from Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and other countries.

This year, coinciding with the fair is the launch of Art Istanbul, a city-wide, week-long initiative which will see participating institutions - including museums, foundations and galleries - present a programme of exhibition openings, artist talks and panel discussions. Together, the cross-over of the two events will make Istanbul the focus of a broad international art audience.

Along with other events, 'Contemporary Art Talks' have been created in order raise awareness of contemporary art in Turkey. Supported by Akbank Private Banking since 2010, the seminars this year will take place in Antalya, Adana, Bursa, Ankara and a number of other cities in Turkey.

Visiting Hours: 22 Nov | 11am - 9pm; 23 - 25 Nov | 11am - 8pm. For more information, please visit www.contemporaryistanbul.com