Theater, music, arts take over Istanbul this week

Istanbul will host a wide range of events throughout the week, from exhibitions and theater to concerts and opera.

At the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), the ballet “Swan Lake” will be presented to audiences on May 16. The plays “Kayık Dünya” on May 14, “Hayatı Hikâye Olan Adam Sait Faik” on May 15, “Lysistrata” on May 15–16 and “Şimdi Telefonunuza Bir Kod Gelecek” on May 17 will also be staged at AKM.

At Zorlu PSM, theatre lovers will meet the plays “Amadeus,” “Toz” and “Bayanlar Baylar Dario Moreno: Bir Gazino Hikayesi” on Monday. “Ballı Süt,” “Bir Terennüm” and “Don Quixote” will be staged Tuesday, while “Palamut Zamanı” will be on stage on May 13 and “Ezop Masalları” and “Öteki” on May 17.

The plays “Baba” will be staged at Maximum Uniq Hall on Monday and Tuesday, followed by “Aydınlıkevler” on May 13.

The “Gırgıriye Musical” can be watched on May 17 at the Harbiye Auditorium of the Istanbul Congress Center.

The “40th Young Days” (“Genç Günler”), organized by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality City Theaters, has begun. The event, where theater productions of university performing arts departments and theater clubs will be staged, will also host talks and workshops until May 19.

Throughout the event, 22 performing arts departments, 36 university theater club productions, three in-house productions, four talks and five workshops will meet audiences.

Concerts

U.S. composer, singer and songwriter John Maus will meet audiences Tuesday while Swiss musician Fabienne Erni will meet listeners on May 13 at Blind Istanbul.

The CRR Symphony Orchestra will perform Tuesday at the Süleyman Seba Culture and Art Center.

At the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air theater, Edis will perform today. The venue will also host the Epic Symphony-Hayko Cepkin Tuesday, Ebru Yaşar on May 14, Mor ve Ötesi on May 15 and Nazan Öncel on May 17.

Meanwhile, Serdar Ortaç will meet his fans at the Istanbul Congress Center Harbiye Auditorium and Sertab Erener will meet her’s at KüçükÇiftlik Park on May 16.

Dolu Kadehi Ters Tut will perform at KüçükÇiftlik Park and Rana Türkyılmaz will be on stage at The Wall Saloon & Performance on May 15.

Bostancı Show Center will host An Epic Symphony-Sibel Can on May 15, Ersay Üner on May 16 and An Epic Symphony-Mustafa Sandal on May 17.

Exhibitions

“The Burden of Humanity: Decolonization Today” exhibition, which explores the invisible mechanisms of colonialism from past to present through an immersive installation, has opened at the AKM Art Gallery. Curated by Hasan Mert Kaya, the exhibition is presented as part of the first World Decolonization Forum 2026.

The “Gaza Letters” exhibition, prepared with the support of Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications and the Okçular Foundation, can be visited at Üsküdar Square.

The retrospective exhibition “Perde,” bringing together over thirty years of artistic production by Hülya Yazıcı, meets art lovers at the Dolmabahçe Painting Museum, Hüseyin Zekai Paşa Exhibition Hall. The exhibition will be open until May 31.

The “Çizgilerle İrfan ve İdrak” exhibition, prepared in cooperation with Esenler Municipality and the Union of World Cartoonists (UWC), can be seen at Dr. Kadir Topbaş Culture and Arts Center until May 24.

The exhibition “Images Inside Out – Look Carefully at Art” (“Ters Yüz İmgeler-Sanata İyi Bakın”) by Devrim Erbil and Akın Ekici meets art lovers at Galeri Deniz until May 17.

Painter Mustafa Bayar’s 25th solo oil painting exhibition “Fabric Carries Memory” (Kumaş Hafızayı Taşır) is open to art lovers at Tarık Zafer Tunaya Cultural Center Art Gallery until May 16.

Architect and painter Filiz Ural’s painting exhibition “Reflections Projected from Notes to My Canvas” (Notalardan Tuvalime Yansıyan İz Düşümler) can be visited at Doku Art Gallery until May 23.

Meşher and the Sadberk Hanım Museum (SHM) are presenting the “Art of Travel” exhibition to art lovers as part of Koç Group’s 100th anniversary. Curated by Merve Uca, the exhibition has opened at Meşher.

The solo exhibition of Azerbaijani state artist Professor Arif Hüseynov, “Spring Embroidery” (“Bahar Nakışları”), has opened at Beyoğlu Municipality 6th District Art Gallery.

The 2025 selection of the ArtıKÜME Art Support Program and the ODAK Exhibition, implemented by the Culture and Heritage Foundation (KÜME) at Karaköy Palas, can be visited until June 17.

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