The 4 best booths at Contemporary Istanbul 2026

The 21st edition of Contemporary Istanbul took place from the 23  - 27 September at a new location, Tersane, a luxurious new development on the Golden Horn waterfront. Over 70 galleries participated from 24 countries, with a particular focus on Asia this year, and continued support for emerging galleries in the New Grounds section of the fair. Of all the booths, these four stood out for the strength of their artistic and curatorial programming.

Galerie Michel Rein & Villa Magdalena
Solo exhibition: Sıla Candansayar
Booth B-107 | Main Galleries

Sıla Candansayar, Galerie Michel Rein & Villa Magdalena, Contemporary Istanbul 2026. Image courtesy of Sofia Carreira-Wham.

#FLODown: This solo booth of Turkish artist Sıla Candansayar (b. 1997) was supported by two galleries: Michel Rein, based between Paris and Belgium and Villa Magdalena, based between San Sebastián and Madrid. Candansayar works were among the most inventive and intriguing at the fair. Punctuating the booth - two leaning against the walls, another lying on the ground, and a fourth free-standing - were undulating sculptures with long bodies and tiny heads, created from hand-carved wood and blown glass. Not quite life-size and neither human nor animalistic, these creatures drew a lot of attention on VIP day. In dialogue with the sculptures were semi-abstracted paintings with a distinctive yet subtle palette and texture.

Instagram: @galerie_michelrein @villamagdalena33 @silayir

Buchmann Galerie, Berlin
Group exhibition: Tony Cragg, Bernd Koberling, Jason Martin, Tatsuo Miyajima, Bettina Pousttchi and Clare Woods
Booth B-115 | Main Galleries

Bettina Pousttchi, Buchmann Galerie, Contemporary Istanbul 2026. Image courtesy of Sofia Carreira-Wham.

#FLODown: Buchmann Galerie participated for the second time in Contemporary Istanbul with an impressive group show of institutional-quality works, in one of the largest booths at the fair. A particular highlight was a work from Bettina Pousttchi's Vertical Highways series, in which she transforms street guardrails into monumental sculptures. A work from the same series stands in front of the entrance to Istanbul Modern, one of the most important museums in the city. Also on show were works by Tony Cragg, who Buchmann has represented since 1983, Jason Martin and Tatsuo Miyajima. Miyajima's artwork Life (Ku-wall) - no. 3 sees LED-lit red numbers change, appear and disappear against a deep black background, each one transforming at its own speed determined by an inbuilt microchip. A poignant reflection on life, death and their fundamental unknowability.

Instagram:@buchmann_galerie@jason_martin_studios@bettinapousttchi@clarewoodsstudio

Gillian Jason Gallery, London

Group exhibition: Louise Bourgeois, Leonora Carrington, Colette Lavette, Manon Steyaert, Eline Martherus, Tracey Emin
Booth B112 | Main Galleries

Manon Steyaert, Gillian Jason Gallery, Contemporary Istanbul 2026. Image courtesy of Sofia Carreira-Wham.

#FLODown: Gillian Jason Gallery has a distinctive programme: it is the only gallery in the UK dedicated to solely supporting and exhibiting female-identifying artists. Their booth at Contemporary Istanbul stood out for the strength of its art historical offering, juxtaposing important C20th artists such as Leonora Carrington and Louise Bourgeois with more emerging contemporary artists such as Manon Steyaert. Steyaert's eye-catching silicone-based work Passings of Colour (2026) was a particular highlight of the fair, standing out for its playful modularity (each segment could be moved) and hybridity, occupying a space somewhere in-between painting and sculpture. Also embracing hybridity were fantastical brooches and pendants by surrealist icon Leonora Carrington, rendered in elaborate detail and embedded with precious stones.

Instagram:@gillianjasongallery@manonsteyaertart

SILK Art House, Singapore

Solo exhibition: Frédéric Duquette [also known as fvckrender]
Booth B131 | Focus Asia | New Grounds

fvckrender, SILK Art House, Contemporary Istanbul 2026. Image courtesy of Sofia Carreira-Wham.

#FLODown: This solo booth of Canadian artist fvckrender's work stood out, not only as one of the few presentations of digital art at Contemporary Istanbul, but for how it was able to blend the boundaries between digital and physical media. Moving images, sculptures and physical prints cohabited seamlessly, demonstrating the artist's preoccupation with form itself. Thoughtfully curated by Justin Gilanyi, this display of works encouraged curiosity and close attention even within the busy environment of the fair - no mean feat.

Instagram:@fvckrender@silkarthouse@justingilanyi

By Sofia Carreira Wham