Renowned denim artist Ian Berry is exhibiting in Turkey for the first time. The exhibition “Beyond Denim” opened at the Kalyon Kültür art center in Istanbul’s Şişli district and will be on view until February 2025. It includes some of the artist’s best-known works as well as works created specifically for the exhibition space.
“It was a city I never really wanted to exhibit in, but Kalyon Kültür approached me and said, ‘We would like to introduce art lovers in Istanbul to the man who was the first to work with denim,’ and I was made me curious,” comments Berry in a press release.
“It was one of the biggest surprises ever, and I found the Turkish people so friendly, accommodating and so willing to share their thoughts,” adds Berry.
His initial reluctance towards Turkey stems from the fact that there have been many imitators over the course of his almost 20-year career – quite a few of them from Turkey. Artists who tried to imitate his style and work with denim, but without his many years of experience.
“I had many copies from Turkey, including for commercial purposes. Honestly, I’ve allowed a few people at the fashion shows to change my mind [über das Land] have clouded. It was a good lesson and now I know some wonderful people in the country,” explains Berry.
The exhibition was designed as a kind of retrospective, with works spread across several rooms and showing Berry’s different creative phases, including works such as “Behind Closed Doors”, “Hotel California” and “Denim Legends”. There is also a version of “Secret Garden” supported by AGI Denim, which is beautifully integrated into the unique setting.
Berry has shown many versions of “Secret Garden” around the world, each of which is different. The one in Istanbul has a pond with koi carp and water lilies, and somehow Berry has also managed to create a Delft-style tiled wall and a bouquet of flowers that shine as if covered in dew.
There is also a new work showing the connections between the different Chinese zodiac signs and their compatibility.
“We are honored to continue to be the designated denim and finishing technology partner for Ian Berry’s art. If Ian’s works were love letters to denim, our materials would be the pen and paper with which he wrote them,” comments Henry Wong, AGI Denim’s vice president of marketing and product development.
Beyond Denim officially runs until February 14, 2025, but rumor has it it could be extended due to its already overwhelming success.
