For me, the visit was a search for silence amid the hustle and bustle, which I found in the massive, unyielding presence of the sculptures. In a world overflowing with digital colors and fleeting stimuli, my personal highlight was the return to the material. I appreciate the raw, unadorned quality of art that doesn’t beg for attention but instead captivates through its sheer weight and texture. Three artists defined this raw look at the fair. Tony Cragg, of course, whose sculptures (presented by Dirimart) resemble geological formations frozen in mid-air. Although his forms are fluid, they retain a cool, monochromatic austerity. You have to walk around them to understand how the light disappears into the deep layers.

With Edgar Grigoryan, it gets truly brutalist. At Galeri 77, his works immediately caught my eye. Grigoryan works with what others throw away. Junk art in its most honest form. The oxidized surfaces, the visible weld seams and the absence of any kitschy color make his works almost melancholic. It is an aesthetic of decay that simultaneously radiates incredible power. To me, Tevfik Çelebi’s works were the monolithic anchors of the fair. These sculptures feel like fragments of a lost, technoid civilization. Dark, heavy and utterly unadorned. Çelebi knows how to work the material (often bronze or wood) in such a way that it takes on an almost philosophical weight.

What made CI BLOOM 2026 so special was the atmosphere. With 28 galleries, the fair was pleasantly manageable and less “market-driven” than the major fall fair. But it is far more than just a warm-up for the major fall trade shows; it has established itself as a powerhouse in its own right, demonstrating a willingness to embrace friction. The best part is how accessible it is: you don’t have to be an art expert with decades of experience to soak up the energy in Rumeli Hall.

CI BLOOM is exciting for anyone willing to linger a little longer on a work that might seem unwieldy or brutal at first glance. It is precisely this blend of accessible entry points and substantive depth that makes Istanbul in April an absolute must-see for anyone who truly wants to experience art.