Curator: Liu Ding and Carol Yinghua Lu

Istanbul Biennial

The Istanbul Biennial is a contemporary art exhibition that has been held biennially in Istanbul, Turkey, since 1987. The Biennial has been organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) since its inception. Source: Wikipedia

Founded in 1987 by İKSV, the Istanbul Biennial began as a festival of contemporary art in traditional Istanbul spaces, coordinated for its first two editions by Beral Madra. From 1992 onwards it adopted a single-curator model, beginning with Vasif Kortun's “Production of Cultural Difference,” and grew into one of the most politically engaged biennials in the international circuit. After the 2024 curatorial crisis surrounding the rejection of recommended curator Defne Ayas, Christine Tohmé's appointment to the 18th edition (2025–2027) inaugurates a three-year format unprecedented in the biennial's history.