The 15th Istanbul Biennial Opens To The Public On 16 September 2017. 150 Artworks In 6 Neighbouring Venues Can Be Seen Until 12 November
The 15th Istanbul Biennial, entitled a good neighbour and curated by artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset, opens to the public on 16 September 2017. Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) since 1987, the 15th Istanbul Biennial brings together artworks by 56 artists from 32 countries, all addressing different notions of home, belonging and neighbourhood. Sponsored by Koç Holding, the 15th Istanbul Biennial can be visited free of charge until 12 November 2017. The 15th Istanbul Biennial takes place in six nearby venues within walking distance: Galata Greek Primary School, Istanbul Modern, Pera Museum, ARK Kültür, Yoğunluk Atelier, and Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam. In addition to the two-month-long exhibition, the 15th Istanbul Biennial also features a Public Programme coordinated by artist and academic Zeyno Pekünlü that encompasses various events and discussions around the concepts of family and neighbourhood.
15th Istanbul Biennial Press Opening
The press opening of the 15th Istanbul Biennial was held at the Lycée Français Saint Benoît d’Istanbul on Tuesday, 12 September. İKSV Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı, Koç Holding Chairman Ömer M. Koç and Istanbul Biennial Director Bige Örer delivered brief opening speeches. The press opening continued with a talk between Elmgreen & Dragset, the curators of the 15th Istanbul Biennial, and Zeyno Pekünlü, the 15th Istanbul Biennial’s Public Programme Coordinator, providing insight into the thinking behind the biennial. In his speech, İKSV Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı said: “This year we are celebrating both the 30th anniversary of the Istanbul Biennial and the 45th anniversary of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, Turkey’s most established non-profit in its field. Over the past 30 years, the Istanbul Biennial has brought to our city contemporary art movements from the world’s four corners, encouraged the production of site-specific works, and created opportunities for rediscovering our city’s historical structures through art, making it one of the most important contemporary art events worldwide as well as in Turkey. We are proud that for 30 years we have provided artists and art lovers alike an independent platform where they can engage freely in the production of art and ideas. As the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, we firmly believe that culture, which is so important for social life, is also a key determinant of development, which is why we are strengthening our international collaboration and continuing our efforts to make an even greater contribution to the cultural and art life of our country. We plan to continue this effort in the years ahead with the support of our sponsors, international culture and art institutions, and our invaluable supporters.” Speaking at the press meeting, Koç Holding Chairman Ömer M. Koç said: “As we frequently like to highlight, economic and social progress always go hand in hand. Since culture and the arts play a vital part in social progress, we at Koç Holding regard our support in these fields as a major priority and responsibility. This responsibility forms the fundamental philosophy behind our museums and arts institutions. Koç Holding’s sponsorship of the greatest contemporary arts platform in the country goes back to 2007. As we take justifiable pride in that past decade, we also look forward to the next ten years. In our view, this is a strategic cooperation rather than mere financial support. I would like to reiterate our commitment to the Istanbul Biennial as a natural extension of our support for social progress in Turkey, and by expressing my wish to see the Biennial as well as the culture of contemporary arts continue to flourish.” Drawing attention to the Biennial’s this year title, Chairman Ömer M. Koç added: “In a world where borders come under increasing scrutiny, we are all aware that tough times lie ahead where war and tensions escalate. What we need above all at this time is to lend an ear to the language or art, art that draws its power from culture and universal values. Alienation erodes human values to the core and casts a dark shadow over peace; I am convinced that ‘neighbourliness’ has the power to counter that blight. A good neighbour promotes lasting peace, not war.” The 15th Istanbul Biennial’s opening week will host more than 3000 guests from the international art scene, including critics, curators, museum and gallery directors, and media.
a good neighbour
Instead of a curatorial statement, the curators have developed forty questions that are guiding the process of making the exhibition. These questions were first presented live in Istanbul by forty performers of different ages, genders and backgrounds in December last year, and can be found on the Biennial’s website (15b.iksv.org/agoodneighbour) and on social media accounts. Some of these questions, such as “Is a good neighbour a stranger you don’t fear?” and “Is a good neighbour someone who reads the same newspaper as you?” are being used for an international billboard project presented in several cities around the world.
15th Istanbul Biennial Artists and Venues
Bringing together a variety of artworks dealing with different notions of home and neighbourhood, the 15th Istanbul Biennial exhibitions will take place at six nearby venues in walking distance: Galata Greek Primary School, Istanbul Modern, Pera Museum, ARK Kültür, Yoğunluk Atelier, and Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam.
Galata Greek Primary School
Artists: Heba Y. Amin, Mark Dion, Jonah Freeman & Justin Lowe, Kasia Fudakowski, Pedro GómezEgaña, Lungiswa Gqunta, Andrea Joyce Heimer, Morag Keil & Georgie Nettell, Olaf Metzel, Mahmoud Obaidi, Erkan Özgen, Leander Schönweger, Dan Stockholm, Ali Taptık, Bilal Yılmaz
A neoclassical building located in Karaköy and in close proximity to Istanbul Modern, Galata Greek Primary School was one of the main educational locations for children of Greek descent in Istanbul for over a century. Due to a decrease in the Greek population of Istanbul in the second half of the twentieth century, the school officially closed its doors in 2007. A recurring venue of the Istanbul Biennial, the building has a special significance due to its legacy as a school, a place for learning and knowledge and a key institution in any residential neighbourhood. Fifteen artists are showing their work at the Galata Greek Primary School, each with an individual space, in classrooms, hallways, stairway landings, the former ballroom and the attic.
Istanbul Modern
Artists: Adel Abdessemed, Volkan Aslan, Alper Aydın, Latifa Echakhch, Candeğer Furtun, Kim Heecheon, Mirak Jamal, Fernando Lanhas, Victor Leguy, Klara Lidén, Mahmoud Obaidi, Henrik Olesen, Lydia Ourahmane, Rayyane Tabet, Young-Jun Tak, Kaari Upson, Kemang Wa Lehulere, Yonamine, Xiao Yu
Istanbul Modern is a former cargo warehouse that became an internationally renowned modern art museum following its initial use as a space for contemporary art at the 8th Istanbul Biennial in 2003. The building was designed by architect Sedad Hakkı Eldem between 1957 and 1958. The 15th Istanbul Biennial showcases nineteen artists’ projects within Istanbul Modern’s open-plan ground floor. Currently, the harbour area around the museum is under substantial transformation, and issues around urban development are reflected upon in several of the artworks displayed. The museum’s collection of Turkish and international modern and contemporary art is on permanent display on the second floor.
Pera Museum
Artists: Adel Abdessemed, Monica Bonvicini, Louise Bourgeois, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Alejandro Almanza Pereda, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Vajiko Chachkhiani, Gözde İlkin, Liliana Maresca, Lee Miller, Aude Pariset, Sim Chi Yin, Dayanita Singh, Tatiana Trouvé, Tsang Kin-Wah, Andra Ursuta, Fred Wilson
Pera Museum was originally built by architect Achille Manoussos as Hotel Bristol in 1893. Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation founded the Pera Museum after the neoclassical building’s renovation in 2005. Located just off İstiklal Caddesi, this private foundation museum has three large collections: Orientalist Paintings, Anatolian Weights and Measures, and Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics. The 15th Istanbul Biennial presents work by sixteen artists on the top three floors of the museum, with two additional works displayed within the museum’s Orientalist Painting collection. The museum’s curatorial team has put together a film programme responding to the Biennial’s title – a good neighbour –which is screened at scheduled times in the auditorium in the museum’s basement. Parts of the Biennial’s public programme take place in collaboration with the educational team of Pera Museum.
ARK Kültür
Artist: Mahmoud Khaled
ARK Kültür is located close to Istanbul Modern and Galata Greek Primary School, was originally built as a family home. The house has been inhabited by various different families throughout the decades. During the 1970s and 1980s, an Italian antique dealer transformed the building into an eclectic, ornate living space, but the house was redone in Bauhaus style in 2008 by its current owner, the architect Gülfem Köseoğlu. She also converted the building into an exhibition and cultural space. ARK Kültür displays a single artist’s work over all three floors, in the style of a fictional ‘house museum’.
Yoğunluk Atelier
Artist: Yoğunluk
As part of the 15th Istanbul Biennial, a participating local artist collective has redesigned their atelier, a former apartment in the Beyoğlu neighbourhood, close to Pera Museum. Yoğunluk Atelier is situated on the fourth floor of a building on a busy restaurant street, and welcomes small groups of viewers on a timed viewing schedule due to the scale and the dimly lit nature of the site-specific installation.
Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam
Artists: Monica Bonvicini, Stephen G. Rhodes, Tuğçe Tuna
Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam is located in the Fatih residential neighbourhood across the Golden Horn. While it is the site furthest away from the other venues, it remains within walking distance. Constructed in 1477, the disused hammam is one of the oldest Turkish baths in Istanbul and reflects some of the key traditional features and social structures of the Ottoman period. While the larger ‘male’ section of the hammam was a site for the 14th Istanbul Biennial, the recently renovated ‘female’ section is this year used as an exhibition space for the first time. Two artists have worked specifically with the interior of each of their sections, and a specially developed dance performance takes place at scheduled times within the ‘male’ part of the hammam. Check out exclusive interviews with the 15th Istanbul Biennial artists made during the Biennial preparations at 15b.iksv.org/home.
A Curatorial Trailer, by Elmgreen & Dragset
“On your way into Istanbul Modern, which is currently encroached by new developments under construction, you pass the freshly ploughed furrows in a field of cement. If you’re early, you might catch two Chinese farmers and their donkey. Upon entering the museum, you pass under a whitewashed 24-square-metre studio apartment turned upside down. Then you move through murals of angry demonstrators – the murals already halfway peeling off and lying like rubble on the floor. Construction fences are blocking your path, but you find your way beyond them, through pillaged pillars of historical buildings and the foundations of new ones. A bulldozer blade has pushed the tender trunks of young trees into a corner, while nine sculptural men are sitting in a tiled room, legs spread wide apart, taking their space, taking their time: is it Turkey and its eight neighbours? A child has made drawings of weapons from different countries he has lived in, and on sixteen surrounding blackboards, the lines of chalk account for nations that no longer exist. You cross the street to Galata Greek Primary School: in the assembly hall, performers are slowly pulling apart a domestic setting. You take the big staircase up, and on each landing, a scene from Istanbul appears; one is an image of dogs resting behind a statue of Ataturk, as he gazes into the horizon over a corrugated metal fence. The same sort of metal that encapsulates you after you pass through a revolving door on the second floor. Next door, you can hear the sound of migrating birds. One floor up, you find a science lab for urban nature; to the right, a science lab for urban future (both in decline). Moving on up, a Syrian boy – unable to speak – is miming the horrors of a homestead under siege. Dodge another fence, and a lawn made of broken bottles lies before you; the faint smell of petroleum reaches your nostrils. When you take a walk up the hill to ARK Kültür, there’s a museum dedicated to an unknown crying man. A small house museum, celebrating that which is not heroic. You cross Istiklal, Istanbul’s battered pedestrian central vein, to reach Pera Museum, and in the midst of its collection of Ottoman paintings, you see one half-covered in concrete, exploded onto the crimson red wall behind. On the third floor, a carved African figure is trapped in a birdcage, flanked by colourless flags. Around the corner, a woman is looking back at you from Hitler’s study on the day he died. Go all the way to the top, and a grandmother’s parlour quietly sums up a life lived in presumed peace, while the word ‘fear’ snakes its way along the floor next door. Among the many restaurants in Asmalı Mescit street, you find Yoğunluk’s atelier on the fourth floor of an apartment building. Once inside, you let the small glimpses of light guide you through the darkness as you listen to the neighbours chatter in Greek. They left long ago. A banner in German welcomes you at Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, and a tower of debris invites you to stay and go away simultaneously. When venturing into the smaller rooms, you are met by rusty kiddie rides gone wild, violating heaps of hapless rubber dinghies. You go around to the men’s section, and take a look in the large mirror: it spells the word ‘guilt’. The 15th edition of the Istanbul Biennial presents multiple artistic practices, which together become a tribute to diversity. Historical art positions and emerging ones compliment each other and offer a transhistorical continuity. Of the 56 participating artists, 30 have made new projects for the Biennial. a good neighbour can be experienced as an experiment in co-existence. Divergent and sometimes even conflicting statements exist side by side – for a while, they become neighbours – and function together by encouraging dialogue, reflection and continued discussion.”
15th Istanbul Biennial spreads across the streets
This year, the Istanbul Biennial spreads across the streets of Istanbul and the world in addition to the six venues.
The International Billboard Project
In anticipation of the exhibition, the 15th Istanbul Biennial also launched an International Billboard Project to share the theme of a good neighbour in different cities around the world. Through collaborations with cultural institutions worldwide, the International Billboard Project, designed by Rupert Smyth displays a selection of photographs by artist Lukas Wassmann, which capture unexpected encounters paired with questions asking what makes a good neighbour. Host cities include Moscow (Russia), Sydney (Australia), Milan (Italy), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Armagh, Ballynahinch, Belfast, Downpatrick and Newry (Northern Ireland), Southampton, Liverpool and Manchester (UK), Calgary (Canada), Plovidv (Bulgaria), Chicago (USA), Auckland (New Zealand), Dhaka (Singapore), Seoul and Gwangju (South Korea). The project will continue until the end of 2017.
Artworks on public display
One of the works on display at public spaces at the 15th Istanbul Biennial belongs to Burçak Bingöl, an artist known for using ceramics and ornamentation in her works. In her series, Follower, the artist makes a critical interpretation of the surveillance culture of our day by ornamenting the surveillance cameras, which have gradually become one of the common sights of cities in the last ten years, with plant patterns she collected from Beyoğlu. Bingöl’s cameras can be seen during the biennial at over twenty locations including Kumbaracı 50, Pera Museum, Şimdi Café, LeBon Patisserie, Istanbul Modern. The artist Ugo Rondinone also participates in the 15th Istanbul Biennial with his neon sculpture Where Do We Go From Here? from his Rainbow Poems series (2007–17), which is an adaptation of his work first shown at the 6th Istanbul Biennial (1999) in Taksim Square. The new outdoor piece will be placed on the façade of the Mustafa Kemal Cultural Centre, a hub for art, business and cultural production near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge.
15th Istanbul Biennial Public Programme
In addition to the two-month-long exhibition, the 15th Istanbul Biennial also features a Public Programme coordinated by artist Zeyno Pekünlü that encompasses a variety of events and discussions related to the concept of a good neighbour. Without neglecting the burden of history and the immediacy of actuality, the Public Programme focuses on the shared questions that led to a number of important debates in recent years. During the opening and closing weeks of the Biennial, it features symposiums with thought-provoking speakers such as activist and professor Shahrzad Mojab, recognised for her research on the impact of war, displacement and violence on women’s learning and education; professor Joseph Massad, known for his criticism of liberal policies related to multiculturalism; professor of political economy Massimo de Angelis; and architect and scholar Stavros Stavrides, whose work focuses on spatial practices. Entitled Chosen Families, the first trails the quest for different kinds of belongings beyond family as an institution. The second, Mutual Fate focuses on urban ecology and strives for finding ways out of anthropocentrism. With panel discussions, screenings, workshops and regular events throughout the Biennial, participants can be found cooking, reading and playing music together. The Public Programme will include events include The General’s Stock, a lecture performance by one of the Biennial’s artists Heba Y. Amin which converges biblical prophecies, colonial narratives and the politics of surveillance to investigate the contemporary conditions of state paranoia; Cross Sections, a discussion curated by Başak Şenova which aims to introduce and discuss the artistic research strains and the three leading keywords - intervals, intensities and responses; If I Don’t Have a Neighbour, What Is My Home / My Neighbourhood!, a panel and the launch of Neighbourhoods Dictionary serving as a guide to understand the struggles of inhabitants of the neighbourhoods who are fighting against the urban transformation process in Turkey; Borderless and Brazen, a conversation with Gülşen Aktaş and Aykan Safoğlu which seeks to share the feminist elements of Gülşen’s life that reflected onto Aykan’s mirror and seeped into his art practice; The Metropolis of Animals: Neighbours, Companions or Leftovers? a talk with the geographer Dr. Sezai Ozan Zeybek which explores the shifting relations in Istanbul between dogs and their humans from 19th Century onwards; and Right to Being a Neighbour, a conversation about the rules of being a ‘good neighbour’ in legal codes with the lawyer and author Rita Ender. Among the Public Programme’s workshops are The Real Superheroes, an animation and character design workshop for kids in which every kid will learn how to draw their own special Superhero and see the result shown as an art installation exhibition; Neighbouring Recipes, a food workshop and panel that aims to highlight communalities and mobility of food culture instead of divisions, conflicts and war; and Add Your Voice to Mine: Istanbul’s Musicians, the music workshop which aims to enable a solidarity network between migrant musicians and the established musicians of the city. The Public Programme will also host Collective Çukurcuma, a non-profit art initiative based in Istanbul, Turkey founded by Mine Kaplangı & Naz Cuguoğlu who invited 38 artists and researchers to take part in the project House of Wisdom exhibition/library which will act as a public research lab & library and will host the Collective Çukurcuma Reading Group sessions through the Biennial period. Admission to all Public Programme events is free. More details on the 15th Istanbul Biennial’s Public Programme can be accessed at 15b.iksv.org/publicprogramme Read a conversation with the Public Programme coordinator Zeyno Pekünlü about Biennial events: 15b.iksv.org/news/16
Education Programme for Children and Youth
Young audiences are invited to question, debate and make new work around the notions of home, neighbours and neighbourhoods on the occasion of the 15th Istanbul Biennial thanks to a dedicated education programme for children and young people conceived with the support of Koç Holding and in collaboration with Polly Brannan and Pera Education. Children and young people can take part in bespoke tours, workshops, discussions, walks, mappings and other events. Moreover, their work will be shared through various online platforms during the course of the Istanbul Biennial. This special youth educational programme to be held free of charge for children and young people will be held throughout the Biennial from 22 September until 12 November. The workshops will take place in Pera Museum every day except Mondays. Since the capacity of the workshops is limited to thirty participants for school groups, and fifteen for weekend events, advance reservations are advised via egitim@peramuzesi.org.tr or cocuk@iksv.org or +90 (212) 334 99 00 / 04.
Visitor Information
All the Biennial venues are open to visit on the first Monday after the opening, 18 September. Galata Greek Primary School, Istanbul Modern, ARK Kültür, Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam and Yoğunluk Atelier are open every day except Monday between 10.00 and 18.00. Pera Museum is open from 10.00 to 19.00 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday; from 10.00 to 22.00 on Fridays and from 12.00 to 18.00 on Sunday. The Museum is closed on Monday. Istanbul Modern can be visited until 20.00 on Thursday. At all venues a team is available to support visitors with disabilities, thanks to a workshop offered by the Alternative Life Association (AYDER). All venues of the 15th Istanbul Biennial can be visited free of charge.
Visitor registration system
In order to learn more about our visitors and to provide further information regarding our other activities, this year, IKSV is launching an accreditation code system for Biennial visits. To receive your personal accreditation code, please register by filling out the form at 15bziyaret.iksv.org or at the registration desks in the Biennial venues. Your personal accreditation code is valid for all Biennial venues. Your code will be sent to your e-mail within a day after you complete the form. Please check your spam folder or contact us at visit15b@iksv.org if you do not receive it.
15th Istanbul Biennial Guided Tours
Guided tours of the 15th Istanbul Biennial are held in three sessions at 11.00, 14.00 and 16.00 every day except Monday throughout the duration of the Biennial, at Galata Greek Primary School, Istanbul Modern and Pera Museum. Single tickets give access to a guided tour in one venue only, while a combined ticket is valid for all venues. Guided tours last for about an hour and are conducted by students majoring in art history or fine art, all with specialist knowledge of the Biennial exhibition obtained under the supervision of scholar and museologist Mine Küçük. Guided tours enable visitors to get a closer look at the artworks, to learn about the exhibition and its conceptual framework, and to inquire further about the works and the artists. The tours will be held in Turkish and English. Tickets for the guided tours can be purchased at booths at Istanbul Modern and Galata Greek Primary School or via Biletix with a service fee (biletix.com) and at the İKSV main box office (everyday between 10.00 and 18.00, except Sundays) at a price of 30 TL (15 TL for students) and 55 TL (25 TL for students) for combined guided tours. You may visit the Biennial as a group outside the regular guided tour schedule. To book a VIP guided tour, please contact (212) 334 07 76.
15th Istanbul Biennial Publications
This year, two publications accompany a good neighbour, with the titles a good neighbour – Exhibition and a good neighbour – Stories. The exhibition book includes a foreword by the Istanbul Biennial Director Bige Örer, a curatorial introduction by Elmgreen & Dragset, an essay by Kaelen Wilson-Goldie and descriptions of every artist’s work by Pablo Larios. The storybook supplements the exhibition book by gathering together a wide variety of personal stories and memories about homes, neighbours and neighbourhoods. Contributors include artists, writers, academics and many others whose accounts take on a myriad of forms and shapes, including short stories, confessional texts, creative essays, letters, dialogues and poems. Published by İKSV and Yapı Kredi Publications with the contributions of the Vehbi Koç Foundation, the exhibition book and the story book can be obtained for 15 TL and 40 TL respectively as of 16 September from the biennial venues, bookshops, and İKSV Nejat Eczacibasi Building (Sadi Konuralp Cad. No.5, Şişhane).
15th Istanbul Biennial Supporters
The 15th Istanbul Biennial is organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and made possible thanks to the sponsorship of Koç Holding. Admission to the 15th Istanbul Biennial is free of charge in all venues. İKSV’s all festivals are supported by its Leading Sponsor Eczacıbaşı Holding, Official Communication Sponsor Vodafone, Official Carrier DHL, Official Accommodation Sponsor The Marmara Collection. Insurance Sponsor is Zurich Insurance Group, Healthcare Sponsor is Memorial Hospitals Group and Service Sponsors are Navitas, GFK and AGC. The Biennial’s Education Meetings Supporters are Clifford Chance and Yegin Ciftci, The Biennial’s automotive sponsor is Ford, special project sponsors are Koçtaş, Panerai, TAV Passport, Tekfen Holding and UBS. Paarla, Türk Tuborg AŞ, Arçelik, Allianz Türkiye, Piyalepaşa İstanbul, Soho House, Illycaffè, Aygaz, Opet and Tüpraş are among the contributing institutions of the Biennial. The Biennial’s paint sponsor (2015-2024) is Polisan Paint. The Istanbul Biennial receives further patronage from a number of other supporters, international funders, and funding bodies. These include Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Arts Council Korea, Arts Council Norway, Bernard van Leer Foundation, British Council, Consulate General of Brazil in Istanbul, Consulate General of Holland in Istanbul, Consulate General of Italy in Istanbul, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Istanbul, Danish Arts Foundation, Denver Art Museum, Dimitrie Cantemir Romanian Cultural Center, Embassy of Canada to Turkey Ankara, Embassy of Mexico in Ankara, Federal Chancellery of Austria, Flanders State of the Art, Goethe-Institut İstanbul, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Institut Français, Institut Français Istanbul, Italian Institute of Culture, Jerwoord Charitable Foundation, National Arts Council Singapore, Office for Contemporary Art Norway, Phileas – A Fund for Contemporary Art, Pinakothek der Moderne, Pro Helvetia, SAHA, Singapore International Foundation and Zabludowicz Collection. Other supporters of the Biennial are Adeka İlaç, Air France Havayolları, Aris, Allianz Türkiye, Atabay İlaç, Ayşegül & Doğan Karadeniz, Daiichi Sankyo İlaç, Fiba Holding AŞ, Fulin & Altuğ Güzeldere, Gökçe Gül, İçdaş AŞ, İki Tahta, Liba Laboratuvarları AŞ, Mustafa Sarıoğlu, Novartis Türkiye, Ortak Nesiller Entegrasyonu, Piraye & İsak Antika, QNB Finansbank, Recordati İlaç, Sotheby's, Türk Ekonomi Bankası, Tempo, Ümit Hergüner & Ayşe Bilgen, Windowist Tower, YazıcıLegal and Zorlu Holding. Patrons of the programme are Elif Bayoğlu & Mehmet Erdem, Füsun & Faruk Eczacıbaşı, Emin Hitay, Tansa Mermerci Ekşioğlu, Ari Meşulam, Ayşegül & Ömer Özyürek, Canan Pak, Uli Sigg and Chiona Schwarz. Friends of the programme are Helga de Alvear, Massimo de Carlo, Cecilie & Knut Brundtland, Sevil Dolmacı, Sevda & Can Elgiz, Nesrin Esirtgen, Huma Kabakcı, Johann König, Amanda & Andrew Love, Emmanuel Perrotin, Gizem Uslu Tümer, Şebnem & Mahmut Ünlü, Danh Vo, Pırıl & Igno Van Waesberghe, Nicolai Wallner, Dr. Gisela Winkelhofer & Monsieur Louis Nègre. Associate Friends of the programme are Aslı Başgöz, Alessandra Modiano & Tim Neuger, Tom Bergesen, Atle Gerhardsen, Ina Johannesen & Christian Ringnes, Ursula Krinzinger and Tony Ventura. 15th Istanbul Biennial is supported by Republic of Turkey Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Beşiktaş Municipality, Beyoğlu Municipality, Fatih Municipality, Kadıköy Municipality and Şişli Municipality. 15th Istanbul Biennial’s visual identity and the graphic design of the publications are made by Rupert Symth.
About Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV)
Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) is a non-profit cultural institution that was founded in 1973. The general objectives of the Foundation are: to make Istanbul one of the world's foremost capitals of culture and the arts; to create continuous interaction between national and universal values, and traditional and contemporary values via culture and the arts; and to contribute actively to the development of cultural policies. With these objectives, İKSV organises the Istanbul Festivals of Music, Film, Theatre and Jazz, as well as the Istanbul Biennial, the Istanbul Design Biennial, autumn film week Filmekimi and other special events. The Foundation hosts cultural and artistic events at Salon located at the Nejat Eczacıbaşı Building. İKSV organises the Pavilion of Turkey at La Biennale di Venezia and coordinates an artist residency program at Cité International des Arts, France. İKSV also conducts studies and drafts reports with the aim of contributing to cultural policy development.
15th Istanbul Biennial Press Opening
The press opening of the 15th Istanbul Biennial was held at the Lycée Français Saint Benoît d’Istanbul on Tuesday, 12 September. İKSV Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı, Koç Holding Chairman Ömer M. Koç and Istanbul Biennial Director Bige Örer delivered brief opening speeches. The press opening continued with a talk between Elmgreen & Dragset, the curators of the 15th Istanbul Biennial, and Zeyno Pekünlü, the 15th Istanbul Biennial’s Public Programme Coordinator, providing insight into the thinking behind the biennial. In his speech, İKSV Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı said: “This year we are celebrating both the 30th anniversary of the Istanbul Biennial and the 45th anniversary of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, Turkey’s most established non-profit in its field. Over the past 30 years, the Istanbul Biennial has brought to our city contemporary art movements from the world’s four corners, encouraged the production of site-specific works, and created opportunities for rediscovering our city’s historical structures through art, making it one of the most important contemporary art events worldwide as well as in Turkey. We are proud that for 30 years we have provided artists and art lovers alike an independent platform where they can engage freely in the production of art and ideas. As the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, we firmly believe that culture, which is so important for social life, is also a key determinant of development, which is why we are strengthening our international collaboration and continuing our efforts to make an even greater contribution to the cultural and art life of our country. We plan to continue this effort in the years ahead with the support of our sponsors, international culture and art institutions, and our invaluable supporters.” Speaking at the press meeting, Koç Holding Chairman Ömer M. Koç said: “As we frequently like to highlight, economic and social progress always go hand in hand. Since culture and the arts play a vital part in social progress, we at Koç Holding regard our support in these fields as a major priority and responsibility. This responsibility forms the fundamental philosophy behind our museums and arts institutions. Koç Holding’s sponsorship of the greatest contemporary arts platform in the country goes back to 2007. As we take justifiable pride in that past decade, we also look forward to the next ten years. In our view, this is a strategic cooperation rather than mere financial support. I would like to reiterate our commitment to the Istanbul Biennial as a natural extension of our support for social progress in Turkey, and by expressing my wish to see the Biennial as well as the culture of contemporary arts continue to flourish.” Drawing attention to the Biennial’s this year title, Chairman Ömer M. Koç added: “In a world where borders come under increasing scrutiny, we are all aware that tough times lie ahead where war and tensions escalate. What we need above all at this time is to lend an ear to the language or art, art that draws its power from culture and universal values. Alienation erodes human values to the core and casts a dark shadow over peace; I am convinced that ‘neighbourliness’ has the power to counter that blight. A good neighbour promotes lasting peace, not war.” The 15th Istanbul Biennial’s opening week will host more than 3000 guests from the international art scene, including critics, curators, museum and gallery directors, and media.
a good neighbour
Instead of a curatorial statement, the curators have developed forty questions that are guiding the process of making the exhibition. These questions were first presented live in Istanbul by forty performers of different ages, genders and backgrounds in December last year, and can be found on the Biennial’s website (15b.iksv.org/agoodneighbour) and on social media accounts. Some of these questions, such as “Is a good neighbour a stranger you don’t fear?” and “Is a good neighbour someone who reads the same newspaper as you?” are being used for an international billboard project presented in several cities around the world.
15th Istanbul Biennial Artists and Venues
Bringing together a variety of artworks dealing with different notions of home and neighbourhood, the 15th Istanbul Biennial exhibitions will take place at six nearby venues in walking distance: Galata Greek Primary School, Istanbul Modern, Pera Museum, ARK Kültür, Yoğunluk Atelier, and Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam.
Galata Greek Primary School
Artists: Heba Y. Amin, Mark Dion, Jonah Freeman & Justin Lowe, Kasia Fudakowski, Pedro GómezEgaña, Lungiswa Gqunta, Andrea Joyce Heimer, Morag Keil & Georgie Nettell, Olaf Metzel, Mahmoud Obaidi, Erkan Özgen, Leander Schönweger, Dan Stockholm, Ali Taptık, Bilal Yılmaz
A neoclassical building located in Karaköy and in close proximity to Istanbul Modern, Galata Greek Primary School was one of the main educational locations for children of Greek descent in Istanbul for over a century. Due to a decrease in the Greek population of Istanbul in the second half of the twentieth century, the school officially closed its doors in 2007. A recurring venue of the Istanbul Biennial, the building has a special significance due to its legacy as a school, a place for learning and knowledge and a key institution in any residential neighbourhood. Fifteen artists are showing their work at the Galata Greek Primary School, each with an individual space, in classrooms, hallways, stairway landings, the former ballroom and the attic.
Istanbul Modern
Artists: Adel Abdessemed, Volkan Aslan, Alper Aydın, Latifa Echakhch, Candeğer Furtun, Kim Heecheon, Mirak Jamal, Fernando Lanhas, Victor Leguy, Klara Lidén, Mahmoud Obaidi, Henrik Olesen, Lydia Ourahmane, Rayyane Tabet, Young-Jun Tak, Kaari Upson, Kemang Wa Lehulere, Yonamine, Xiao Yu
Istanbul Modern is a former cargo warehouse that became an internationally renowned modern art museum following its initial use as a space for contemporary art at the 8th Istanbul Biennial in 2003. The building was designed by architect Sedad Hakkı Eldem between 1957 and 1958. The 15th Istanbul Biennial showcases nineteen artists’ projects within Istanbul Modern’s open-plan ground floor. Currently, the harbour area around the museum is under substantial transformation, and issues around urban development are reflected upon in several of the artworks displayed. The museum’s collection of Turkish and international modern and contemporary art is on permanent display on the second floor.
Pera Museum
Artists: Adel Abdessemed, Monica Bonvicini, Louise Bourgeois, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Alejandro Almanza Pereda, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Vajiko Chachkhiani, Gözde İlkin, Liliana Maresca, Lee Miller, Aude Pariset, Sim Chi Yin, Dayanita Singh, Tatiana Trouvé, Tsang Kin-Wah, Andra Ursuta, Fred Wilson
Pera Museum was originally built by architect Achille Manoussos as Hotel Bristol in 1893. Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation founded the Pera Museum after the neoclassical building’s renovation in 2005. Located just off İstiklal Caddesi, this private foundation museum has three large collections: Orientalist Paintings, Anatolian Weights and Measures, and Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics. The 15th Istanbul Biennial presents work by sixteen artists on the top three floors of the museum, with two additional works displayed within the museum’s Orientalist Painting collection. The museum’s curatorial team has put together a film programme responding to the Biennial’s title – a good neighbour –which is screened at scheduled times in the auditorium in the museum’s basement. Parts of the Biennial’s public programme take place in collaboration with the educational team of Pera Museum.
ARK Kültür
Artist: Mahmoud Khaled
ARK Kültür is located close to Istanbul Modern and Galata Greek Primary School, was originally built as a family home. The house has been inhabited by various different families throughout the decades. During the 1970s and 1980s, an Italian antique dealer transformed the building into an eclectic, ornate living space, but the house was redone in Bauhaus style in 2008 by its current owner, the architect Gülfem Köseoğlu. She also converted the building into an exhibition and cultural space. ARK Kültür displays a single artist’s work over all three floors, in the style of a fictional ‘house museum’.
Yoğunluk Atelier
Artist: Yoğunluk
As part of the 15th Istanbul Biennial, a participating local artist collective has redesigned their atelier, a former apartment in the Beyoğlu neighbourhood, close to Pera Museum. Yoğunluk Atelier is situated on the fourth floor of a building on a busy restaurant street, and welcomes small groups of viewers on a timed viewing schedule due to the scale and the dimly lit nature of the site-specific installation.
Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam
Artists: Monica Bonvicini, Stephen G. Rhodes, Tuğçe Tuna
Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam is located in the Fatih residential neighbourhood across the Golden Horn. While it is the site furthest away from the other venues, it remains within walking distance. Constructed in 1477, the disused hammam is one of the oldest Turkish baths in Istanbul and reflects some of the key traditional features and social structures of the Ottoman period. While the larger ‘male’ section of the hammam was a site for the 14th Istanbul Biennial, the recently renovated ‘female’ section is this year used as an exhibition space for the first time. Two artists have worked specifically with the interior of each of their sections, and a specially developed dance performance takes place at scheduled times within the ‘male’ part of the hammam. Check out exclusive interviews with the 15th Istanbul Biennial artists made during the Biennial preparations at 15b.iksv.org/home.
A Curatorial Trailer, by Elmgreen & Dragset
“On your way into Istanbul Modern, which is currently encroached by new developments under construction, you pass the freshly ploughed furrows in a field of cement. If you’re early, you might catch two Chinese farmers and their donkey. Upon entering the museum, you pass under a whitewashed 24-square-metre studio apartment turned upside down. Then you move through murals of angry demonstrators – the murals already halfway peeling off and lying like rubble on the floor. Construction fences are blocking your path, but you find your way beyond them, through pillaged pillars of historical buildings and the foundations of new ones. A bulldozer blade has pushed the tender trunks of young trees into a corner, while nine sculptural men are sitting in a tiled room, legs spread wide apart, taking their space, taking their time: is it Turkey and its eight neighbours? A child has made drawings of weapons from different countries he has lived in, and on sixteen surrounding blackboards, the lines of chalk account for nations that no longer exist. You cross the street to Galata Greek Primary School: in the assembly hall, performers are slowly pulling apart a domestic setting. You take the big staircase up, and on each landing, a scene from Istanbul appears; one is an image of dogs resting behind a statue of Ataturk, as he gazes into the horizon over a corrugated metal fence. The same sort of metal that encapsulates you after you pass through a revolving door on the second floor. Next door, you can hear the sound of migrating birds. One floor up, you find a science lab for urban nature; to the right, a science lab for urban future (both in decline). Moving on up, a Syrian boy – unable to speak – is miming the horrors of a homestead under siege. Dodge another fence, and a lawn made of broken bottles lies before you; the faint smell of petroleum reaches your nostrils. When you take a walk up the hill to ARK Kültür, there’s a museum dedicated to an unknown crying man. A small house museum, celebrating that which is not heroic. You cross Istiklal, Istanbul’s battered pedestrian central vein, to reach Pera Museum, and in the midst of its collection of Ottoman paintings, you see one half-covered in concrete, exploded onto the crimson red wall behind. On the third floor, a carved African figure is trapped in a birdcage, flanked by colourless flags. Around the corner, a woman is looking back at you from Hitler’s study on the day he died. Go all the way to the top, and a grandmother’s parlour quietly sums up a life lived in presumed peace, while the word ‘fear’ snakes its way along the floor next door. Among the many restaurants in Asmalı Mescit street, you find Yoğunluk’s atelier on the fourth floor of an apartment building. Once inside, you let the small glimpses of light guide you through the darkness as you listen to the neighbours chatter in Greek. They left long ago. A banner in German welcomes you at Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, and a tower of debris invites you to stay and go away simultaneously. When venturing into the smaller rooms, you are met by rusty kiddie rides gone wild, violating heaps of hapless rubber dinghies. You go around to the men’s section, and take a look in the large mirror: it spells the word ‘guilt’. The 15th edition of the Istanbul Biennial presents multiple artistic practices, which together become a tribute to diversity. Historical art positions and emerging ones compliment each other and offer a transhistorical continuity. Of the 56 participating artists, 30 have made new projects for the Biennial. a good neighbour can be experienced as an experiment in co-existence. Divergent and sometimes even conflicting statements exist side by side – for a while, they become neighbours – and function together by encouraging dialogue, reflection and continued discussion.”
15th Istanbul Biennial spreads across the streets
This year, the Istanbul Biennial spreads across the streets of Istanbul and the world in addition to the six venues.
The International Billboard Project
In anticipation of the exhibition, the 15th Istanbul Biennial also launched an International Billboard Project to share the theme of a good neighbour in different cities around the world. Through collaborations with cultural institutions worldwide, the International Billboard Project, designed by Rupert Smyth displays a selection of photographs by artist Lukas Wassmann, which capture unexpected encounters paired with questions asking what makes a good neighbour. Host cities include Moscow (Russia), Sydney (Australia), Milan (Italy), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Armagh, Ballynahinch, Belfast, Downpatrick and Newry (Northern Ireland), Southampton, Liverpool and Manchester (UK), Calgary (Canada), Plovidv (Bulgaria), Chicago (USA), Auckland (New Zealand), Dhaka (Singapore), Seoul and Gwangju (South Korea). The project will continue until the end of 2017.
Artworks on public display
One of the works on display at public spaces at the 15th Istanbul Biennial belongs to Burçak Bingöl, an artist known for using ceramics and ornamentation in her works. In her series, Follower, the artist makes a critical interpretation of the surveillance culture of our day by ornamenting the surveillance cameras, which have gradually become one of the common sights of cities in the last ten years, with plant patterns she collected from Beyoğlu. Bingöl’s cameras can be seen during the biennial at over twenty locations including Kumbaracı 50, Pera Museum, Şimdi Café, LeBon Patisserie, Istanbul Modern. The artist Ugo Rondinone also participates in the 15th Istanbul Biennial with his neon sculpture Where Do We Go From Here? from his Rainbow Poems series (2007–17), which is an adaptation of his work first shown at the 6th Istanbul Biennial (1999) in Taksim Square. The new outdoor piece will be placed on the façade of the Mustafa Kemal Cultural Centre, a hub for art, business and cultural production near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge.
15th Istanbul Biennial Public Programme
In addition to the two-month-long exhibition, the 15th Istanbul Biennial also features a Public Programme coordinated by artist Zeyno Pekünlü that encompasses a variety of events and discussions related to the concept of a good neighbour. Without neglecting the burden of history and the immediacy of actuality, the Public Programme focuses on the shared questions that led to a number of important debates in recent years. During the opening and closing weeks of the Biennial, it features symposiums with thought-provoking speakers such as activist and professor Shahrzad Mojab, recognised for her research on the impact of war, displacement and violence on women’s learning and education; professor Joseph Massad, known for his criticism of liberal policies related to multiculturalism; professor of political economy Massimo de Angelis; and architect and scholar Stavros Stavrides, whose work focuses on spatial practices. Entitled Chosen Families, the first trails the quest for different kinds of belongings beyond family as an institution. The second, Mutual Fate focuses on urban ecology and strives for finding ways out of anthropocentrism. With panel discussions, screenings, workshops and regular events throughout the Biennial, participants can be found cooking, reading and playing music together. The Public Programme will include events include The General’s Stock, a lecture performance by one of the Biennial’s artists Heba Y. Amin which converges biblical prophecies, colonial narratives and the politics of surveillance to investigate the contemporary conditions of state paranoia; Cross Sections, a discussion curated by Başak Şenova which aims to introduce and discuss the artistic research strains and the three leading keywords - intervals, intensities and responses; If I Don’t Have a Neighbour, What Is My Home / My Neighbourhood!, a panel and the launch of Neighbourhoods Dictionary serving as a guide to understand the struggles of inhabitants of the neighbourhoods who are fighting against the urban transformation process in Turkey; Borderless and Brazen, a conversation with Gülşen Aktaş and Aykan Safoğlu which seeks to share the feminist elements of Gülşen’s life that reflected onto Aykan’s mirror and seeped into his art practice; The Metropolis of Animals: Neighbours, Companions or Leftovers? a talk with the geographer Dr. Sezai Ozan Zeybek which explores the shifting relations in Istanbul between dogs and their humans from 19th Century onwards; and Right to Being a Neighbour, a conversation about the rules of being a ‘good neighbour’ in legal codes with the lawyer and author Rita Ender. Among the Public Programme’s workshops are The Real Superheroes, an animation and character design workshop for kids in which every kid will learn how to draw their own special Superhero and see the result shown as an art installation exhibition; Neighbouring Recipes, a food workshop and panel that aims to highlight communalities and mobility of food culture instead of divisions, conflicts and war; and Add Your Voice to Mine: Istanbul’s Musicians, the music workshop which aims to enable a solidarity network between migrant musicians and the established musicians of the city. The Public Programme will also host Collective Çukurcuma, a non-profit art initiative based in Istanbul, Turkey founded by Mine Kaplangı & Naz Cuguoğlu who invited 38 artists and researchers to take part in the project House of Wisdom exhibition/library which will act as a public research lab & library and will host the Collective Çukurcuma Reading Group sessions through the Biennial period. Admission to all Public Programme events is free. More details on the 15th Istanbul Biennial’s Public Programme can be accessed at 15b.iksv.org/publicprogramme Read a conversation with the Public Programme coordinator Zeyno Pekünlü about Biennial events: 15b.iksv.org/news/16
Education Programme for Children and Youth
Young audiences are invited to question, debate and make new work around the notions of home, neighbours and neighbourhoods on the occasion of the 15th Istanbul Biennial thanks to a dedicated education programme for children and young people conceived with the support of Koç Holding and in collaboration with Polly Brannan and Pera Education. Children and young people can take part in bespoke tours, workshops, discussions, walks, mappings and other events. Moreover, their work will be shared through various online platforms during the course of the Istanbul Biennial. This special youth educational programme to be held free of charge for children and young people will be held throughout the Biennial from 22 September until 12 November. The workshops will take place in Pera Museum every day except Mondays. Since the capacity of the workshops is limited to thirty participants for school groups, and fifteen for weekend events, advance reservations are advised via egitim@peramuzesi.org.tr or cocuk@iksv.org or +90 (212) 334 99 00 / 04.
Visitor Information
All the Biennial venues are open to visit on the first Monday after the opening, 18 September. Galata Greek Primary School, Istanbul Modern, ARK Kültür, Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam and Yoğunluk Atelier are open every day except Monday between 10.00 and 18.00. Pera Museum is open from 10.00 to 19.00 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday; from 10.00 to 22.00 on Fridays and from 12.00 to 18.00 on Sunday. The Museum is closed on Monday. Istanbul Modern can be visited until 20.00 on Thursday. At all venues a team is available to support visitors with disabilities, thanks to a workshop offered by the Alternative Life Association (AYDER). All venues of the 15th Istanbul Biennial can be visited free of charge.
Visitor registration system
In order to learn more about our visitors and to provide further information regarding our other activities, this year, IKSV is launching an accreditation code system for Biennial visits. To receive your personal accreditation code, please register by filling out the form at 15bziyaret.iksv.org or at the registration desks in the Biennial venues. Your personal accreditation code is valid for all Biennial venues. Your code will be sent to your e-mail within a day after you complete the form. Please check your spam folder or contact us at visit15b@iksv.org if you do not receive it.
15th Istanbul Biennial Guided Tours
Guided tours of the 15th Istanbul Biennial are held in three sessions at 11.00, 14.00 and 16.00 every day except Monday throughout the duration of the Biennial, at Galata Greek Primary School, Istanbul Modern and Pera Museum. Single tickets give access to a guided tour in one venue only, while a combined ticket is valid for all venues. Guided tours last for about an hour and are conducted by students majoring in art history or fine art, all with specialist knowledge of the Biennial exhibition obtained under the supervision of scholar and museologist Mine Küçük. Guided tours enable visitors to get a closer look at the artworks, to learn about the exhibition and its conceptual framework, and to inquire further about the works and the artists. The tours will be held in Turkish and English. Tickets for the guided tours can be purchased at booths at Istanbul Modern and Galata Greek Primary School or via Biletix with a service fee (biletix.com) and at the İKSV main box office (everyday between 10.00 and 18.00, except Sundays) at a price of 30 TL (15 TL for students) and 55 TL (25 TL for students) for combined guided tours. You may visit the Biennial as a group outside the regular guided tour schedule. To book a VIP guided tour, please contact (212) 334 07 76.
15th Istanbul Biennial Publications
This year, two publications accompany a good neighbour, with the titles a good neighbour – Exhibition and a good neighbour – Stories. The exhibition book includes a foreword by the Istanbul Biennial Director Bige Örer, a curatorial introduction by Elmgreen & Dragset, an essay by Kaelen Wilson-Goldie and descriptions of every artist’s work by Pablo Larios. The storybook supplements the exhibition book by gathering together a wide variety of personal stories and memories about homes, neighbours and neighbourhoods. Contributors include artists, writers, academics and many others whose accounts take on a myriad of forms and shapes, including short stories, confessional texts, creative essays, letters, dialogues and poems. Published by İKSV and Yapı Kredi Publications with the contributions of the Vehbi Koç Foundation, the exhibition book and the story book can be obtained for 15 TL and 40 TL respectively as of 16 September from the biennial venues, bookshops, and İKSV Nejat Eczacibasi Building (Sadi Konuralp Cad. No.5, Şişhane).
15th Istanbul Biennial Supporters
The 15th Istanbul Biennial is organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and made possible thanks to the sponsorship of Koç Holding. Admission to the 15th Istanbul Biennial is free of charge in all venues. İKSV’s all festivals are supported by its Leading Sponsor Eczacıbaşı Holding, Official Communication Sponsor Vodafone, Official Carrier DHL, Official Accommodation Sponsor The Marmara Collection. Insurance Sponsor is Zurich Insurance Group, Healthcare Sponsor is Memorial Hospitals Group and Service Sponsors are Navitas, GFK and AGC. The Biennial’s Education Meetings Supporters are Clifford Chance and Yegin Ciftci, The Biennial’s automotive sponsor is Ford, special project sponsors are Koçtaş, Panerai, TAV Passport, Tekfen Holding and UBS. Paarla, Türk Tuborg AŞ, Arçelik, Allianz Türkiye, Piyalepaşa İstanbul, Soho House, Illycaffè, Aygaz, Opet and Tüpraş are among the contributing institutions of the Biennial. The Biennial’s paint sponsor (2015-2024) is Polisan Paint. The Istanbul Biennial receives further patronage from a number of other supporters, international funders, and funding bodies. These include Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Arts Council Korea, Arts Council Norway, Bernard van Leer Foundation, British Council, Consulate General of Brazil in Istanbul, Consulate General of Holland in Istanbul, Consulate General of Italy in Istanbul, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Istanbul, Danish Arts Foundation, Denver Art Museum, Dimitrie Cantemir Romanian Cultural Center, Embassy of Canada to Turkey Ankara, Embassy of Mexico in Ankara, Federal Chancellery of Austria, Flanders State of the Art, Goethe-Institut İstanbul, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Institut Français, Institut Français Istanbul, Italian Institute of Culture, Jerwoord Charitable Foundation, National Arts Council Singapore, Office for Contemporary Art Norway, Phileas – A Fund for Contemporary Art, Pinakothek der Moderne, Pro Helvetia, SAHA, Singapore International Foundation and Zabludowicz Collection. Other supporters of the Biennial are Adeka İlaç, Air France Havayolları, Aris, Allianz Türkiye, Atabay İlaç, Ayşegül & Doğan Karadeniz, Daiichi Sankyo İlaç, Fiba Holding AŞ, Fulin & Altuğ Güzeldere, Gökçe Gül, İçdaş AŞ, İki Tahta, Liba Laboratuvarları AŞ, Mustafa Sarıoğlu, Novartis Türkiye, Ortak Nesiller Entegrasyonu, Piraye & İsak Antika, QNB Finansbank, Recordati İlaç, Sotheby's, Türk Ekonomi Bankası, Tempo, Ümit Hergüner & Ayşe Bilgen, Windowist Tower, YazıcıLegal and Zorlu Holding. Patrons of the programme are Elif Bayoğlu & Mehmet Erdem, Füsun & Faruk Eczacıbaşı, Emin Hitay, Tansa Mermerci Ekşioğlu, Ari Meşulam, Ayşegül & Ömer Özyürek, Canan Pak, Uli Sigg and Chiona Schwarz. Friends of the programme are Helga de Alvear, Massimo de Carlo, Cecilie & Knut Brundtland, Sevil Dolmacı, Sevda & Can Elgiz, Nesrin Esirtgen, Huma Kabakcı, Johann König, Amanda & Andrew Love, Emmanuel Perrotin, Gizem Uslu Tümer, Şebnem & Mahmut Ünlü, Danh Vo, Pırıl & Igno Van Waesberghe, Nicolai Wallner, Dr. Gisela Winkelhofer & Monsieur Louis Nègre. Associate Friends of the programme are Aslı Başgöz, Alessandra Modiano & Tim Neuger, Tom Bergesen, Atle Gerhardsen, Ina Johannesen & Christian Ringnes, Ursula Krinzinger and Tony Ventura. 15th Istanbul Biennial is supported by Republic of Turkey Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Beşiktaş Municipality, Beyoğlu Municipality, Fatih Municipality, Kadıköy Municipality and Şişli Municipality. 15th Istanbul Biennial’s visual identity and the graphic design of the publications are made by Rupert Symth.
About Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV)
Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) is a non-profit cultural institution that was founded in 1973. The general objectives of the Foundation are: to make Istanbul one of the world's foremost capitals of culture and the arts; to create continuous interaction between national and universal values, and traditional and contemporary values via culture and the arts; and to contribute actively to the development of cultural policies. With these objectives, İKSV organises the Istanbul Festivals of Music, Film, Theatre and Jazz, as well as the Istanbul Biennial, the Istanbul Design Biennial, autumn film week Filmekimi and other special events. The Foundation hosts cultural and artistic events at Salon located at the Nejat Eczacıbaşı Building. İKSV organises the Pavilion of Turkey at La Biennale di Venezia and coordinates an artist residency program at Cité International des Arts, France. İKSV also conducts studies and drafts reports with the aim of contributing to cultural policy development.