2.12. Culture, Art and Sports

The exhibition "Shadow and Truth-A Selection from the Art Collection of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey" was held at CaixaForum Barcelona, Spain from 13 January to 4 March 2012. The exhibition focused on the truth and history of modern art in another culture which has been left in the shadows and located in geographies for which history is non‑existent, geographies held outside time and where custom and tradition perpetuate without change. As a memento for the exhibition, a special catalogue was published in Turkish, English and Spanish.

On the occasion marking the 400th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the Netherlands and Turkey, the exhibition entitled "Different Impressions, Changing Traditions-The Art Collection of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey" was held at Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht, the Netherlands from 19 April to 26 August 2012. The Exhibition was opened by President Abdullah Gül and Hayrünnisa Gül, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Uğur Doğan, Turkish Ambassador to the Netherlands in the Hague, Governor Erdem Başçı and officials of the Bonnefantenmuseum. The exhibition introduced and shared with visitors the transformations in Turkish art since the end of the 18th century, and the contributions to art from contemporary art practices, events, and especially from galleries, art institutions such as cultural centers and museums that have greatly increased in number since the 1980s as a result of the accelerating policies of globalization, as well as the contributions of the İstanbul Biennials organized since 1987. The expository panels and a video of interviews with officials and experts such as art historians, sociologists, and curators supported the goals of the exhibition. As a memento for the exhibition, a special catalogue was published in Turkish, English and Dutch.

The exhibition "Changing Perceptions and New Directions: Contemporary Turkish Painting" was held at the National Museum for Bulgarian Visual Arts from 10 December 2012 to 31 January 2013. The exhibition presented traces in the arts of the forms of production that emerged primarily as part of the process of Westernization. It was structured to emphasize the visual history which Turkey, being at the cross-section of Eastern and Western cultures, naturally synthesized, and the unique formations of identity presented together by two different mental frameworks and perceptions. The selection from the Bank's Art Collection also offered a visual unity that holds together the traditional connections of Turkish Art and its references to the present and the future. As a memento for the exhibition, a special catalogue was published in Turkish, English and Bulgarian.

Periodic exhibitions were held at the Art Gallery of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey.

In connection with UNESCO's announcement of 2012 as the year of the musician "Buhurizade Mustafa Itri", the Bank published a prestigious booklet and a music album of four CDs to show the extent of cultural activities in which the Bank is involved.

In addition to cultural activities, the Bank is also involved with sporting activities. The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey hosted the "Euro Hiking 2012" in Antalya and the "Interbank Chess Tournament" with participations from local banks in İstanbul. The Bank teams attended "Euro Basketball" in Romania, "Euro Table Tennis" in Belgium, "Euro Tennis" in Italy and the "8th Central Banks' Sports Tournament" hosted by the Hungarian National Bank in mini football, volleyball (women) and swimming events.

To support the cause of promoting afforestation, trees were planted in the "Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey Memorial Forestation" at the Çakırlar Farm Site in the Atatürk Forest Farm in cooperation with the Ministry of Forest and Water Affairs.