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By Kengo Kuma and Associates opens in Turkey

OMM – Odunpazari Modern Museum, a major new museum and distinctive architectural landmark by  Kengo Kuma and Associates celebrates its public opening today (Sunday 8 September). Founded by  art collector and businessman Erol Tabanca, the museum is the first of its kind in Eskisehir, a university  city in north west Turkey.

OMM’s innovative design, by the acclaimed Japanese architects behind the new V&A Dundee in the  UK, provides a bright and spacious new home for the 1,000-piece collection of modern and  contemporary art housed inside the museum. With its stacked timber design, inspired by the  surrounding streetscape of Odunpazari and its history as a timber trading market, the 4,500m2 museum  stands as a new landmark that reconnects the town with its heritage, and as a progressive cultural  development for Eskişehir and the Central Anatolia region at large.

Erol Tabanca​, Founder of OMM, said: “​Today’s opening marks the culmination of a visionary process  for everyone involved. We are delighted to reveal this unique building, the collection and our exciting  inaugural presentations to the community here in my hometown of Eskisehir and to visitors from around  the world.”

Kengo Kuma,​ principle of Kengo Kuma and Associates, and ​Yuki Ikeguchi​, the partner leading the  project, said: ​”The idea for OMM was to use architecture to create a link between people and art. We  were deeply inspired by the history, culture, people and streetscape of Odunpazari, and we wanted  the building to resonate on many levels. We hope that the museum will breathe new life into Eskisehir  and become a central and inviting meeting point for the city.”

Idil Tabanca​, Chairperson and Creative Director of OMM, said: “​The opening of OMM marks the  beginning of a new era of collaboration and innovation in the university city of Eskisehir. We are  opening up the doors of the iconic new building to create an institution that will be a stepping stone  for young artists. I don’t see OMM as a museum – it’s a platform, a bridge, for young creatives to  have their voices heard ​ .”

Largest Installation to date by Bamboo ‘Master’ Artist Tanabe Chikuunsai IV  At the museum’s opening ceremony on Saturday 7 September, which was attended by important  international figures including Kengo Kuma and Yuki Ikeguchi, Japanese ‘master’ bamboo artist Tanabe  Chikuunsai IV put the final touches to his ever largest installation, standing at over 6×8 metres. The new  commission, which is the most recent piece to join OMM’s evolving collection of modern and  contemporary art, was deeply inspired by Odunpazari and its inhabitants, who are represented as one  of five interwoven strands along with the four elements: Earth, water, air, fire. Renovating an ancient  Japanese craft, the work was made entirely from recycled ‘Tiger Bamboo’ that’s unique to one  mountain in Kochi, Japan.

Digital Art Brings Home Important Environmental Message  As part of the opening presentation, British digital art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast are  showcasing two immersive installations (until 7 December) – ​Treehugger ​ and​ In the Eyes of the Animal  – both of which carry an important environmental message: that the protection and regeneration of the  Earth’s ecosystems is fundamental to our collective futures.

Treehugger, recently awarded Tribeca Film Festival’s Storyscapes Award for innovation in immersive  storytelling, is the first chapter in what MLF plans to become a virtual archive of rare and endangered  trees. The ultimate aim of the project is to assist conservation by encouraging people to connect with  the natural world and feel compelled to protect it. In the Eyes of the Animal, originally created and set  in Grizedale Forest in the Lake District, UK, takes users on a fascinating journey that allows them to  embody various animals as they traverse the landscape, flying above the forest canopy and coming  face-to-face with high-definition critters.

In an age where technology is said to disconnect people from the natural environment, Marshmallow  Laser Feast uses cutting-edge technology such as virtual reality, aerial 360° drone filming, LiDAR and  CT scanning to highlight the invisible but fundamental connections and dependence between humans  and the natural world.

First Exhibition Puts Turkish Artists in the Spotlight  OMM’s ambitious exhibition programme opens with ‘​Vuslat ​ ’, curated by Turkish curator Haldun  Dostoğlu, which features a selection of over 100 works by 60 leading artists predominantly from Turkey  including Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Canan Tolon, Erol Akyavaş, İlhan Koman, Ramazan Bayrakoğlu, Sinan  Demirtaş and Tayfun Erdoğmuş.

‘​Vuslat ​ ’, which loosely translates as ‘The Union’, was inspired by three scenes of union: Eskisehir gains  its first private modern art museum; Erol Tabanca fulfills his dream of sharing his collection with the  public, and the collection – much of which has been behind closed doors for years – is showcased in its  entirety for the first time.

Split over three floors, the new museum has a variety of exhibition spaces that will house the  permanent collection and host a programme of multidisciplinary exhibitions – many of which will be  produced in collaboration with leading curators and creatives. The exhibition programme will be  complemented by a dynamic public programme, offering seminars, artist talks and workshops.