Constantinople to Istanbul: Cultural Perspectives Across Two Cities

Opening at the V&A in November, a new exhibition offers a timely starting point for exploring history and cultural context between London and Istanbul.

Arts & Business Institute

The Victoria and Albert Museum will present Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires at V&A South Kensington in London from 7 November 2026 to 9 May 2027. The exhibition explores 1,600 years of art and design associated with the city.

Looking through more than one context

For ABI, whose educational outlook is shaped by London and Istanbul, the exhibition suggests a valuable question: what changes when the history of one city is encountered in another? A visitor brings their own language, memories and expectations to the objects on display. Those starting points influence what feels familiar and what requires a second look.

The same attention to context is worth bringing to international work. Before interpreting a partner’s choices, we can ask which institutions, histories and assumptions make those choices intelligible. Cultural curiosity becomes practical when it encourages better questions and a willingness to revise an initial explanation.

An invitation to observe

When visiting, choose one object and separate what you can see from what you assume about it. Read its interpretation, then return to your first account. Which detail changed your understanding? This simple exercise can help make the act of interpretation visible.

Plan a visit

Check the museum’s official exhibition page for current booking information and visitor details. This is an independent editorial preview of an external exhibition.