The Pill Gallery is a contemporary art gallery based in the historical peninsula of Istanbul, Turkey. It was founded and is directed by Suela Cennet, operating as a platform that brings together local and international artists.[1]
History
The Pill was founded in January 2016 by Suela Cennet who had previously worked with Daniel Templon in Paris and Brussels.[2] Its inaugural exhibition was a solo presentation by French artist Daniel Firman, followed by a solo presentation by Eva Nielsen.[2][3]
Since its opening, the gallery has established itself as one of the "most influential" players in the region and a "reference to discover the emerging artistic scene".[4] It was featured in the Istanbul City guides published by Phaidon for Wallpaper as well as Louis Vuitton as one of the most cutting-edge galleries in the city.[5][6]
The Pill was among the institutional partners of Bourse Emerige Révélations in 2017 and 2018, a prize and long-term support mechanism for emerging French artists.[7][8] It has participated in leading international art fairs such as ARCO Madrid, Material Art Fair Mexico City, Expo Chicago, Untitled Miami, 1:54 New York, Art-O-Rama Marseille, Paris Photo, FIAC Paris and Contemporary Istanbul. The Pill's art fair participation has been awarded multiple times, winning the Opening Award for best stand at ARCO Madrid 2021[9] and Best Booth Design Award for Contemporary Istanbul in 2016.[10] Its participation at Future Fair 2021, New York, was deemed "standout" by multiple reviews.[11][12]
In 2022, "New Art Scales", a book revisiting the gallery's first seven years of programming, was published by JBE Books with contributions by art critic Ingrid Luquet-Gad and Suela Cennet.[13]
Artists
The following artists have been exhibited at the gallery: