Established in 2010, The Empire Project exhibited the works of more than 40 Artists in two different historical venues over 7 seasons, engaging a devoted audience with seminars, workshops and projects.

In 2017 Empire shifted its format to continue its endeavors outside of the conventional brick-and-mortar gallery-oriented venue to focus on serving and collaborating with the arts community in the absence of a fixed exhibition space, primarily dedicated to show casing emerging artists.

In 2023 The Empire Project re-established in a new physical space on the Asian side of Istanbul. Located in historic Kadıköy, the new venue offers a flexible exhibition format, with a studio gallery structure presenting both solo and group shows as well as continuing to develop and produce off-venue projects and exhibitions in alternative spaces and places.

At its core The Empire Project identifies and exhibits contemporary art from the regions which have historically been within the cultural sphere of influence centered upon (or significantly affected by) the imperial locus we today call Istanbul. Geographically speaking, the range is wide, including most of the Mediterranean world and Arabian Peninsula, much of Eastern Europe, Anatolia, the Black Sea region, and Central Asia.