Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) with the support of 2007-2036 Biennial Sponsor Koç Holding, the 19th Istanbul Biennial will take place from 18 September to 14 November 2027. Curated by artist and curator LIU Ding and art historian and curator Carol Yinghua LU, the 19th Istanbul Biennial will have Artİstanbul Feshane as its main venue, with additional venues to be announced at a later date.
As part of their ongoing research for the 19th Istanbul Biennial, the curators invite artists working across all disciplines to submit proposals addressing the impact of war through an open call. Conceived as a space for collective reflection on war and peace, the open call welcomes submissions from artists who have been affected by war in its many forms. The Biennial’s broader conceptual framework, which will also encompass other areas of inquiry, is expected to be announced in December 2026.
Applications will be accepted online at iksv.slideroom.com from Monday, 19 October 2026, until Sunday, 22 November 2026, at 23:59 (Istanbul time, UTC+3).
Open Call for Artist Participation in the 19th Istanbul Biennial
The open call for the 19th Istanbul Biennial aims to deepen a particular line of research within the Biennial’s broader conceptual framework. In their invitation text to artists, the curators state:
“The 19th Istanbul Biennial invites work and proposals from artists who are living through or have lived through war, and who reflect on it with criticality and care. Art cannot end wars or resolve their underlying causes, but it can open spaces for dissent, doubt, and the imagination of alternatives. Looking at war through art carries a historical responsibility, as well as a practical value, since it can keep in view what official accounts leave out. By setting individual recollections aside—and at times against—the memories that communities and states construct, artists can open up nuanced ways of thinking about life under extreme conditions, and about the questions of courage, complicity, ethics, and endurance that war raises.”
To read the curators’ complete text outlining this line of research: bienal.iksv.org
Submission Guidelines
- Project Proposal: The proposal should directly address the themes mentioned in the invitation text and must not exceed 3,500 characters, excluding spaces. The file size must not exceed 10 MB.
- Portfolio: The portfolio should demonstrate the applicant’s previous work and experience. The file size must not exceed 100 MB.
- Online Application Form: iksv.slideroom.com
Note: The open call is open to artists from Türkiye and abroad working across all disciplines. All applications must be submitted in English or Turkish, and all files must be uploaded to the designated fields in the online application form.
Selected artists will be invited for further conversations, either in person or online.
