ICONS—NYC + IST
New York City Exhibition
In May 2026 American artist Kate Schelter and Turkish curator Demet Muftuoglu Eseli—longtime collaborators—presented ICONS—NYC + IST, an exhibition that celebrates the shared visual language of New York City and Istanbul.
The series of 52 original watercolors depicts cross-cultural connections found in street culture, personal style and architectural landmarks. It draws modern parallels between two iconic cities: one universal language. It debuted at Misela Bond Street in New York.
ICONS—NYC + IST is designed to travel fluidly around the world, partnering with notable galleries along the way. As the exhibition moves, Kate will continue to paint site-specific icons for each new destination, evolving the series into a living archive of comparative cultures.
TRAVELING EXHIBITION: THE GLOBAL TOUR upcoming destinations
new York CITY
Hamptons
Istanbul
Bodrum
Paris
St Moritz
PARIS…
and beyond!
![NEW YORK CITY TSHIRT [LARGE] 10.5%22 X 14.5%22_400DPI_R.jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/672c0c105fec846f84b8643c/490c3fc0-8f81-4700-8616-b074cacbe917/NEW+YORK+CITY+TSHIRT+%5BLARGE%5D+10.5%2522+X+14.5%2522_400DPI_R.jpg)
![TAXI YELLOW [80S] 9.5%22 X 8.5%22_400DPI_R.jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/672c0c105fec846f84b8643c/9d9d8cff-90f4-4676-bee4-d03979ddb0d2/TAXI+YELLOW+%5B80S%5D+9.5%2522+X+8.5%2522_400DPI_R.jpg)
“Kate’s work embodies our shared love for our two cities and our friendship. We have been collaborating for over two decades and spent so much time together in NYC and Instanbul. We are excited to take this exhibition on a global tour ”
– DEMET MUFTUOGLU ESELI, Co-founder ‘74GROUP/ISTANBUL’74
