An Overview of Cultural Literacy in Turkey through Private Contemporary Art Institutions and Independent Arts and Cultural Spaces under the AKP Rule

Abstract

ABSTRACT Neoliberalism, which had an impact on various fields of Turkish society after the military coup on 12 September 1980, has come to dominate the arts and cultural scene more powerfully from 2002 onwards with the rule of the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP). Museums of modern and contemporary art founded by private companies, as well as the Istanbul Biennial which had an increasing impact on the contemporary art scene after 1990, are important mediators of the contemporary cultural scene. The kind of art historical narratives they form through the exhibitions that are being organised should also be critically explored to understand how these institutions regulate and reformulate what counts as cultural literacy in direct or indirect ways. This article discusses the recent cultural and educational policies of Turkey’s ruling right-wing conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP), the impact of the privatisation of culture and the arts, and how these transformations affect cultural literacy in Turkey. While the first part of the article summarises the transformation in the educational and cultural scene in the mentioned period, the second part discusses how private contemporary art institutions and independent arts and cultural organisations shape cultural literacy amid this political atmosphere and recent transitions.