Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli and her filmmaker husband Alphan have spent over fifteen years building a world where art and life exist in perfect harmony. In 2009, the couple established ISTANBUL74, an innovative art-and-culture organization that has become a cornerstone of Turkey's contemporary art scene. Their annual IST.FESTIVAL draws international luminaries like Jeff Koons, Tilda Swinton, and Kirsten Dunst for intimate discussions and presentations that blur the lines between public engagement and private collecting. For Demet, the journey has never been about simply acquiring objects, but rather about creating meaningful platforms for artistic dialogue and exchange. She approaches each piece with a curator's eye, seeking out works that pulse with emotion, narrative depth, and creative urgency.
The couple's collection reflects their global perspective while maintaining deep roots in their Turkish heritage. Their walls feature an eclectic mix of international heavyweights such as Nicolas Pol, Daniel Arsham, and Anton Corbijn alongside pioneering Turkish artists including Ahmet Doğu İpek, Mehmet Ali Uysal, and master textile artist Belkıs Balpınar. This careful curation mirrors the mission of ISTANBUL74, which serves as a bridge between Istanbul's vibrant local scene and the broader international art community. Demet's background as a curator fundamentally shapes her collecting philosophy, transforming each acquisition into an extension of her professional practice and personal relationships.
Nestled in Istanbul's picturesque Kandilli neighborhood, their three-story residence began as a modest fisherman's house before local architect Seyhan Özdemir Sarper reimagined it as an art-filled sanctuary. The design evokes 1970s West Coast aesthetics with sandy-hued tones that wash the interior in warm amber shades through carefully selected furniture and carpeting. An Alexander Calder mobile rests elegantly on the coffee table, positioned near a ceramic sculpture by their close collaborator José Parlá. Balpınar's bow-shaped weaving "Balloon" (2014) graces the spiral staircase, while Greek artist Irini Karayannopoulou's collage painting "Dark Luna" (2024) leans thoughtfully against a wall in an intimate corner, continuing its journey from her solo exhibition at Istanbul's exclusive Clubhouse Bebek.
The boundaries between Demet's institutional work and private collecting dissolve through her deep personal connections with artists. She organized the group exhibition "NEARNESS: A Neighborhood Exhibition" last October as part of IST.FESTIVAL, placing works by Stefan Brüggemann and Sheree Hovsepian in unconventional venues including a butcher shop and florist. Parlá's involvement exemplifies this cross-pollination, having participated as both speaker and subject of a solo exhibition titled "ISTHMUS" that Demet mounted during the 2019 Istanbul Biennial. Months later, they collaborated again at Untitled Art, Miami Beach, where Demet acquired one of Parlá's ceramic vessels from the same series now displayed in her living room.
Demet acquires most works directly through studio visits and ongoing conversations with artists and galleries, believing personal relationships are essential to meaningful collecting. Her advice to newcomers emphasizes this human connection, urging them to know artists personally and understand how personality depth informs artistic practice. However, she acknowledges that some opportunities inevitably slip away. She recalls partnering with Lehmann Maupin in 2012 to present Angel Otero's early collage works, which sold out before the exhibition even opened. Looking back, she expresses wistful admiration for how his practice has evolved, noting it would have been special to own a piece from that pivotal moment in their shared history.
For Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli, living with art represents the culmination of a privileged journey into an artist's world. Owning a work serves as a tangible artifact of creative exchange and mutual understanding. Whether functioning as a curator, collector, or simply an appreciator, art provides the essential through line that unifies every aspect of her life. The thrill of acquisition never diminishes because it symbolizes something far greater than ownership. As she reflects on her path, the rhythm of living with art, working with art, and allowing it to shape her worldview remains constant. Collecting, in its truest form, becomes an act of honoring the profound exchange between creator and collector.
