Hope Alkazar: Taksim’s Newest Cultural Hotspot

By Justin Mays:

Taksim’s Istiklal Street's newest cultural center is Hope Alkazar located in the historical Alkazar Cinema building. With a blockbuster artist, Refik Anadol, exhibiting until May 2022, art lovers are lining up to enjoy the renovated space.  The director of Alkazar, Bahar Türkay, said that she defines the space as a platform with social wellness at its core bringing movement, dance, sports, culture, and art together.

Program partners from many different sectors inspire and give hope, with youth at the center of their programming. Anadol’s work, Alkazar’s Dream, is an interactive digital experience taking the history of space, cinema, uploading data from 150 films to an AI program to create a 20-minute installation.

In the first 12 minutes, the visitor observes millions of film frames, words, music and then for eight minutes participates in an interactive experience that incorporates their movements and visuals to make the space and participant one dynamic work of art.

Aside from art exhibitions the space will still function as a movie theater and grow with workshops from different sectors. The famous brand Nike is a sponsor and currently, there are sports-related activities from Cihangir Yoga, one of the largest and first yoga studios in Turkey, and Urban Riders, the only studio specializing in cycling classes.

Theater, dance, and musical performances and workshops round out their ambitious agenda. Hope Alkazar is committed to sustainability, upcycling, and zero waste approach making this a green venue.