From Titanic to Avatar, the "Art of James Cameron" exhibition takes moviegoers on a journey

The exhibition, which details every detail from the film's production process to its unforgettable scenes, reveals Cameron's imagination and artistic journey.

The exhibition is curated by Avatar Alliance Foundation Creative Director Kim Butts, while architect Helga Faletti contributes to the project as an architectural and installation consultant.

Designed and curated in collaboration with the Avatar Alliance Foundation, the exhibition brings together more than 300 original works, including drawings, sketches, props, costumes and photographs selected from Cameron's private archive, and nearly 60 rare works, taking visitors on a journey around five main themes.

Kim Butts, in her statement to an Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent regarding the exhibition, said that they also worked with the master director on the "James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge" project.

Butts, noting that the exhibition might reveal interesting themes from James Cameron's work, said, "I also considered Istanbul audiences when creating this exhibition. However, when you look at it as a whole, the exhibition is essentially the same, just a reimagined version. When preparing the exhibition for the Istanbul Cinema Museum, we aimed to inspire not only artists and filmmakers, but also teachers and parents. One of the things I love about working with Turkish people is the joy I feel while working. I tried to convey this joy, surprise, and inspiration through Cameron's work."

Stating that James Cameron was involved in the entire process of the project, Butts gave the following information:

"When I put all the drawings together for the Technoir book, I said, do you have a few hours where I can talk about this artwork and how I put it together? We had an 8.5-hour Zoom call. He was in New Zealand, I was in California. It was 3 a.m. for me. He told me story after story. What you'll see in the exhibition is James Cameron's voice talking about what he was doing at the time, what that artwork meant to him."

Kim Butts emphasized that they prepared two exhibitions for Cameron, saying, "One was about his deep-sea research and technical work. Cameron built his own submarine and even went down to the Mariana Trench. This exhibition toured various parts of the world for eight years. The other exhibition focuses entirely on his creative side. There's the technical side on one side, and the creative side on the other. Of course, the technical side is creative, but we're talking about a mind that can embrace all these different elements simultaneously."

Butts emphasized that the exhibition reinforces the idea of ​​constant creation and provides inspiration by showcasing Cameron's journey from simple pencil and paper drawings to important films like "Avatar." He stated that the exhibition, which opened with the Istanbul Cultural Road Festival, was integrated with the city's artistic events.

Istanbul Cinema Museum Director Emre Oskay noted that the exhibition had attracted considerable attention in many European countries, saying, "I had seen all of their films and loved them so much that I immediately rushed to America. Afterward, we had a meeting with James Cameron. We explained ourselves. We asked, 'Why do we want to hold this exhibition? What potential does Türkiye have? Would you give people living in and visiting Türkiye a chance to see this exhibition?' We asked. It was a very intense and lengthy process. We learned a lot from them."

Oskay stated that they also attach importance to the workshops held parallel to the exhibition and continued as follows:

James Cameron's starting point was a pen and paper. It's a journey of putting his ideas on paper, then turning them into fairy tales, showing his dreams to people, and then turning them into films. We're working diligently to figure out how we can give our guests the same experience here. We'll be hosting two events each month. We'll be organizing everything from storyboarding events to Avatar-related training and workshops.

Oskay pointed out that the exhibition was structured to inspire younger generations in particular, adding that in the rapidly changing media environment, cinema is not only a means of entertainment but also a means of social and cultural narrative.

Emre Oskay stated that the exhibition, centered on James Cameron's transformative approach to cinema, also aims to create a reflective space on the present and future of cinema culture.

As part of the exhibition, James Cameron's film screenings, interviews, film analysis, storyboarding and plastic makeup workshops will also be held at the Atlas Cinema.