Meet the Creative Duo Behind IST. FESTIVAL

October 07, 2025

For its 15th anniversary, the Istanbul International Arts and Culture Festival (IST. FESTIVAL) returns this October with a theme that questions our digital haze: ‘What is really real?’ Founded by creative duo Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli and Alphan Eşeli, the festival has long served as a meeting point for global minds across art, cinema, music, design, and literature. This year, it pushes further into the blurred boundaries between authentic and artificial.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of Istanbul, a city where centuries of culture and contradiction coexist, the three-day program will unfold across panels, exhibitions, performances, and installations, transforming neighborhoods into living, breathing art spaces. With a lineup that includes Jeff Koons, Inez & Vinoodh, Lou Doillon, Stefan Sagmeister, and Flavin Judd among others, IST. FESTIVAL continues to affirm its place as one of the world’s most forward-thinking gatherings of creative visionaries.

Prior to this year’s edition we caught up with founders Demet and Alphan to reflect on fifteen years of cultural dialogue, the evolution of their vision, and why Istanbul remains an eternal muse.

By Dylan Andrews
Photos by Istanbul '74

What inspired you guys to start the festival?

Alphan Eşeli – I think at the beginning it was a desire to create something where different worlds could meet, where we could meet our interests. Because I love cinema, I love literature, music, and Demet loves art and fashion. So I think the idea came to create something that would include a multidisciplinary environment. And Istanbul, it's a perfect place because it's always been a place where cultures collide.

Did you feel like Istanbul needed a festival? Did you feel like it was something that was lacking?

AE – As I said, Istanbul has always been a place where these multi-cultures meet. It's a very vibrant city. I mean it would be a big statement that Istanbul needed a festival, but I think it needed a contemporary perspective at the time. That was what inspired us, that was what drove us. So to give a contemporary spin to all that energy that was going around in the city at that time.

What were your initial hopes for it at the time? Did you ever picture it getting to this scale?

AE – Well, our initial hopes when we started the festival, to be brutally honest; just get over it and never do it again [both laugh]. Because very early on we realized that organizing a festival in that scope was a bit – I have to say more than a bit – it was very challenging. And I remember finishing the first edition, I couldn't even move for 10 days. We were so exhausted. How about you Demet?

Demet Müftüoğlu-Eşeli – That's so true. So it was kind of a dream. We lived in New York for 11 years, we moved back and that was kind of the idea to bring all those creative minds and that kind of energy to the city. When you're dreaming of it in New York, it looks like it's so doable, but when we come and try to do it, things are much harder than I was imagining. And then when we had the talks, the people were there, it was super challenging, but also such a good energy to feel that in the city. All the young kids are meeting the people who they never, ever imagined to meet. And it was free. And when you give that kind of a chance to the younger generation, I was like, ‘we have to keep on doing it.’

What do you look for when you're curating the artists and the voices and the people that are involved in the festival?

DME – Every year we start with a theme and we start to invite people around that theme. And this year it's, ‘what is really real?’ So Alphan wrote an amazing criterial story about it. And then we start inviting around that theme.

And what's the ratio of local artists and designers and people to international?

AE – Well, it's somewhere between 50-50. Sometimes it can be 60-40. It depends. So this year we're almost 60% international. And then 40% probably Turkish.

Have you ever considered expanding the festival outside of Istanbul?

AE – Well, we did it once in Rome in 2019. And, yeah, we're still thinking of expanding it into a global scale. Right, Demet?

DME – I mean the idea was definitely to bring it to other cities. So just before the pandemic, we did it in Rome, we did it at Maxxi Museum. And then the gala dinner we did at Galleria Borghese. So we loved it. So the idea is still there, but because it's the 15th anniversary, we thought even though we are going to bring it to the other cities, we just need to celebrate the 15th anniversary here back in Istanbul. But then definitely, yes.

How does the city of Istanbul itself influence the spirit of the festival? I imagine in Rome it's not the same feeling.

AE – I mean, it's impossible not to get inspired or affected by the city because Istanbul, when you come, you'll see it's a very special place. And I mean, I'm not from Istanbul, I'm not born here. I'm from Ankara. But every time, even as a kid, when I came to the city, it was something magical. I never forget one night when I was a kid, we were crossing the bridge. I was probably like five or six and it was midnight and it was a full moon. My mom woke me up and said, listen, 'we're passing from Europe to Asia'. And I was like, we are going from one continent to the other. And as a kid it was magical. And I never forget it. I mean, Istanbul, it's very historic, it's ancient, it's always energetic. And compared to where I grew up, which was like Washington, it was like going to the top of the world. I always felt like that.

Obviously it's grown since the first edition of the festival. Has it changed from your initial hopes for it in other ways? Has it shifted from what you initially thought?

AE – Yeah, of course. It's inevitable. I mean, it has shifted it, it's become bigger. Behind the scenes has developed into something much more professional. Because when we started we were a very, very small bunch of people and there was still the same amount of work. And now we have learned, and I think we've come a long way since the start.

DME – But the spirit is the same.

AE – Yeah, the spirit is the same. And that's the most important thing. I mean, coming a long way doesn't always necessarily mean it's a good thing but as long as we keep the spirit that we had in 2010, for me that's the most important thing.

What keeps you motivated to keep doing this every year? I know there was a break during COVID, but for the most part it's been year after year.

AE – I mean, personally I like to be surprised in life and learn new things. And I come up with the theme, but my ambition was always that at the end of the festival, rather than finding answers, that the panels would raise more questions. So I would be looking at my initial team from a different perspective and that's inspiring me as I'm doing the programming and the team and stuff like that. I am always going back to find out and come up with news questions at the end of the festival.

Do you have any personal memories that you'll never forget from the festival?

AE – I don't like the word favorite, I have a lot. But one of my best memories was when Thurston Moore performed with this Turkish improv jazz band. We got in touch with Thurston and he accepted and he came to the festival and he didn't want to do a panel or something. He said, “I want to perform. I want to perform with this Turkish band.” And I don't even know if they had met before. I don't think so. But the guys were sending him emails and blah, blah, blah. And to be honest, I don't even know if they did the sound check.

So they went on stage and, I mean, it was incredible. I had goosebumps. They recorded it and I think they even released a limited version of that performance. And after he came back they did a few more gigs. So we connected a local talent with an international talent and they started an incredible collaboration. And for me, that's the best thing about the festival.

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Text by JohnOswald Crichton
Photography by Michi de Pichi and Ana Bálcaza

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