On the Karaköy waterfront – one of the oldest districts of Istanbul, where the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn meet – the new Istanbul Modern designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop occupies an area of ​​10,500 square meters.

The shape of the building, Renzo Piano’s first project in the first in Türkiye, is inspired by the glittering waters of the Bosphorus and its luminous reflections. Referring to the history of the place, used as a harbor for millennia, the outline of the building evokes something between a ship and a creature of the sea, which appears to have just leapt ashore. The facade is made up of a sequence of 3-D aluminum panels that play with the sunlight, creating an iridescent shell reminiscent of fish scales.

A wide central stairway connecting the public areas of the museum features a site-specific installation by Olafur Eliasson titled “Your Unexpected Journey”. Hanging in the air, it plays with light and visitors’ sense of space. The new building opens on 4 May.