What Is Really Real? Is it a simple question, or a provocation? Perhaps both. It’s one of the pivotal concepts of contemporary society, isn’t it? ’74 IST. FESTIVAL , the contemporary art festival, returns for its 15th anniversary with an existential theme, breaking habits and confronting its audience with one of today’s most pressing questions. Over the years, thanks to founders Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli and Alphan Eşeli, the new Arts & Culture Director Nazy Nazhand, and all those who took part, IST. Festival has established itself as a moment of interdisciplinary connection: a space where art, cinema, music, and technology intertwine to create new dialogues and reshape the direction of creativity. Unlike categorised fairs, its strength lies in the simultaneous exchange between worlds. Since its founding, the festival has remained committed to building a space where critical thinking can find a home, because there is no progress without confrontation. Staying true to this vision, the 15th edition, along with exhibitions and site-specific installations, presented a rich program of talks, interviews, conversations, and workshops, bringing to the city of Istanbul some of the most prominent names in the artistic and creative scene, such as Jeff Koons, Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi), Manuel Rabaté, Malgosia Bela, Lou Doillon, Benjamin Paulin, Flavin Judd, Stefan Sagmeister, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin and many others. Each of them contributed by shedding light on layered, complex issues that interest and fragments our society, drawing attention to the dynamism of existence and creativity, and how one is intrinsically connected to the other.

In the conversation moderated by the festival co-founder Alphan Eşeli, Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi) built an emotional connection with the audience, recalling the pivotal role of sensitivity, imagination and memory, in rebuilding a reality that is still worth dreaming about. What truly transformed the city this year, however, was the central theme of the edition: the exploration of a dichotomy : reality and fiction. We live in a world where even our reflection in the mirror no longer feels certain, where everything that appears is veiled in ambiguity and disorientation. Social media, hyperstimulation, and the rapid advance of technology have gradually disconnected us, placing us on ground that no longer feels solid, tangible, or ours. As a result, even what we communicate becomes unstable in itself. So what, then, is more real? What can truly be considered certain in a world that keeps appearing fragmented? And this is where creative experimentation and questioning come into play. Reality changes, it is mutable, and so is art. This constant transformation can generate chaos, yet if explored with awareness, it can also open new paths toward fresh perspectives and a more conscious form of creation.