Biennial ends with 337,429 visitors

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

The 13th Istanbul Biennial has ended on October 20 with a record number visitors. A total of 337,429 people visited this year’s biennial. The 13th Istanbul Biennial exhibitions, titled “Mom, am I Barbarian?”, curated by Fulya Erdemci took place at Antrepo 3, Galata Greek Primary School, ARTER, SALT Beyoğlu and 5533. The biennial was free of charge.

The 13th Istanbul Biennial, “Mom, am I barbarian?” which borrowed its title from poet Lale Müldür’s book, focused on the theme of public space as a political forum. The biennial exhibitions aspired to opening up a space to rethink the concept of “publicness” through art and elicit imagination and innovative thought to contribute to social engagement and discussion. According to the written statement sent by Istanbul Arts and Culture Foundation (IKSV) the youth and children program of the biennial attracted many participants to the workshops. A total of 3,000 students attended the workshops.

The biennial hosted 88 artists and artist collectives whose work problematizes the dichotomies between barbarity and civilization, nature and culture, the singular and the universal, the subject and the social, and randomness and order, and layer these relations visually to unravel linguistic and intellectual processes together with emotional experiences.” Featuring the works of 11 artists and two artistic/civil collectives from Turkey, as well as three artistic collaborations formed of both Turkish and foreign artists, the 13th Istanbul Biennial was one of the biennial exhibits with the highest rates of participation from Turkey to date.