17th Istanbul Biennial set to commence on Sept. 17

By Handan Kazanci

ISTANBUL (AA) – The 17th Istanbul Biennial will open its doors to the public on Sept. 17, organizers announced on Tuesday.

The cultural festival will run until Nov. 20 and entrance to its various events will be free of charge.

The biennial is organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) and sponsored by Koc Holding, which has supported the event since 2007.

Curated by international figures Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh, this year’s edition features more than 50 projects by hundreds of artists.

The projects range “from a musical composition for water buffalos and giant puppet shows across the city to a dumpling food festival, research projects on the archives of feminist movements, dialogues with birds, and a poetry channel inviting 15 poets to write a new poem every month for a year,” according to an IKSV statement.

“Through the biennial, the IKSV aims to support new productions. We encourage site-specific works and the development of new collaborations between local and international artists,” IKSV head Bulent Eczacibasi said at a news conference in Istanbul.

The biennial aims to “create opportunities for interaction between art professionals and audiences,” as well as strengthen Türkiye’s international ties, he added.

“By opening our doors free of charge to hundreds of thousands of people, we have removed an important barrier to public access and participation in culture and arts,” said Eczacibasi.

He thanked Koc Holding for “making this admission-free access possible through their sponsorship,” as well as the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

Among the contributors this year are more than “500 artists, thinkers, writers, poets, puppeteers, researchers, environmentalists, architects, radio hosts, fishermen, buffalo herders, activists, stand-up comedians, conductors, ethnomusicologists, ornithologists, and many others, have contributed to the biennial,” according to the ISKV.

The 17th Istanbul Biennial is being hosted at 12 main venues and over 50 bookstores, hospitals, cafes and metro stations in several districts of the metropolis, including Zeytinburnu, Beyoglu and Fatih on the European side and Kadikoy on the Anatolian side.

- Koc Holding extends sponsorship until 2036

Omer Koc, chairman of the board of Koc Holding, said the biennial will harness the “transformative power of the arts” and “inspire us to do better and to locate in ourselves the power to change the world.”

“For the first time in history, humans face the inevitable consequences of a legacy of mindless modernity with such clarity. We all face a flurry of problems that await swift solutions,” he said.

“The 17th Istanbul Biennial tackles a great number of these complex questions with honesty and lucidity. With its healing touch, the Istanbul Biennial will, I hope, serve as a door that opens to the world from Istanbul and leads its visitors to hope.”

He also announced that Koc Holding has extended its sponsorship of the biennial, which was due to end in 2026, until 2036.