MUSEUM

The First Institution of Contemporary Art in Turkey

Proje4L was founded by collectors Sevda and Can Elgiz under the name of "Istanbul Museum of Contemporary Art" in its former premises in Levent. The museum opened in 2001, when there were no non-profit institutions in Turkey dedicated to contemporary art. This year Elgiz Museum is celebrating the 10th year of its commitent to contemporary art in Turkey with a book and special exhibitions. 

Established with a mission to promote the development of contemporary art in Turkey, the initiave focussed on providing space, support and international visibility to projects by young Turkish artists. As new art institutions and museums bloomed in Turkish art scene in 2005, the collectors converted the space to a private collection museum under the name'Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art' to host the Elgiz Collection. Proje4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art is located in the dynamic business district of Istanbul, Maslak and is open to the public free of charge.

Elgiz Collection consists of works of by influential Turkish and international artists, such as Ömer Uluç, Fahrelnissa Zeid, Abdurrahman Öztoprak, Tracey Emin, Jan Fabre, Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol, Julian Schnabel, Sol LeWitt, Peter Halley, Paul McCarthy, Gilbert&George, Robert Rauschenberg, Doug Aitken. The eclectic content of the collection allows the viewer to enjoy a comprehensive journey through the major contemporary art movements of the last two decades, while promoting the globalization of Turkish art. With the integration of new works by young artists the Elgiz Collection maintains its dynamism and prevalence.

The new space of the Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art is established on 2000m2 of exhibiton space. Aside from the main hall, reserved for displaying selections from the Elgiz Collection, there are two Project Rooms, an Open Archive Room and a conference room. The Project Rooms are commisioned to young Turkish talents to give them a chance to exhibit their work, in some cases, for the first time. The archive room is for gallerists, collectors and art enhusiasts to browse through submitted artist portfolios and contact artists of their interest. The conference room hosts lectures focused on passion for collecting.