Depo

Depo is a non-commercial arts centre in Tophane, Istanbul, set in a former tobacco warehouse known as Tütün Deposu. The building stored tobacco until the 1950s and hosted occasional projects from the 9th International Istanbul Biennial in 2005 onwards. After a renovation that kept its original character, the Depo team moved in during 2008 and opened its first exhibition in January 2009.

Depo is an initiative of Anadolu Kültür, the organisation behind the Diyarbakır Arts Center. Its exhibitions lean towards social and political subjects: memory and the past, human and minority rights, social movements, urban change and youth culture. Research-based documentary projects sit alongside art exhibitions, and most shows come with a talk that brings artists and audiences together.

The programme extends to screenings, among them the SaturDox documentary series run with Documentarist since 2009, and to debates held as a member of the Time To Talk network. Depo also publishes Red Thread, an English and Turkish online journal on socially engaged art across the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Middle East and North Africa. Entry to all activities is free.