Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and sponsored by 2007-2036 Biennial Sponsor Koç Holding, the 18th Istanbul Biennial will be curated by Christine Tohmé.
The 18th Istanbul Biennial will unfold in three distinct legs, each building on the previous one and carrying forward lines of inquiry and research from 2025 to 2027.
The first leg will feature exhibitions and public programmes running from 20 September to 23 November 2025. Throughout 2026, the Biennial will focus on establishing a permanent educational structure and offering a quarterly public programme in close collaboration with local art initiatives. This edition will culminate between 18 September and 14 November 2027, with a series of exhibitions, publications, performances, and discursive gatherings.
This three-legged biennial attempts to reclaim ‘time’, a necessary ingredient for transformative artistic processes, by stretching its timeframe and generating different strides. In her proposal, Tohmé states:
‘I have found working in the arts to be most transformative, not only in moments of formal presentation but, more importantly, during its production—in the creative process, everyday exchanges, openings, studio visits, and reading groups. Therefore, the 18th Istanbul Biennial should invest as much in the production process as in its presentation. The extended timeframe of three years will allow the Biennial to engage more deeply with the local scene and foster projects and collaborations around collective questions, contexts, and communities. Its multi-year programme aims to support generations of artists in connecting with their regional and international peers, building alliances, and confronting new realities.’
Call for Participation in the 18th Istanbul Biennial
The first leg of the Biennial will focus on themes of self-preservation and futurities. In the face of precarity and recurring crises, how do material conditions and lack of safety affect our daily lives and shape our relationships with ourselves, our bodies, and our communities? How do we create spaces of respite, foster unconventional solidarities, and devise counterstrategies of resistance? What futures can we envision in a dual movement of repair and forward imagination? How can we inhabit our worlds as they unravel, making space for both nightmares and dreams, impermanence and endurance?
For the first leg in 2025, we invite interested artists to submit their dossiers via the online form by following the steps below.
Submission Guidelines
Local and international artists from all disciplines are welcome to apply. The dossier should include a project proposal relevant to the above themes, along with a portfolio.
- Online Form: https://tinyurl.com/mw3hbewt
- Project Proposal: Should directly address the curatorial themes (maximum 3,500 characters without spaces, up to 10 MB)
- Portfolio: Demonstrating past work and experience (up to 100 MB)
The deadline for submission is 17:00 on 15 December 2024.
Selected artists will be invited to further discussions, either in person or virtually.
