Mardin’s biennial to focus on ‘double take’

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The second International Mardin Biennial will be held between Sept. 21 and Oct. 21 with the theme of ‘Double Take.’ The biennial will host 30 artists’ artworks.

Blending contemporary visual culture with the texture of one of Turkey’s most ancient cities, the southeastern province of Mardin is preparing for the second International Mardin Biennial with the theme of “Double Take.”

In the biennial, Mardin faces the past and the present, according to curators Paolo Colombo, who was the curator of the sixth Istanbul Biennial, and Lora Sarıaslan. Their conceptual framework of the biennial plans to bring contemporary art together with the colorful stories and soul of the city, by blending today’s visual culture with the texture of Mardin, as well as focusing on individual stories. “While taking its clues from the richness of the city’s cultural, architectural and historical layers, the biennial recreates itself and advises us to reshape the city,” the curators said in a statement about the event.

The biennial will present artists such as Fikret Atay, Sami Baydar, Edy Ferguson, Mona Hatoum, Hrair Sarkissian, Shahzia Sikander and Pae White, as well as other artists.

The venues for the event are set to be places that Mardin locals use in their daily lives, according to organizers. Supported by the Southeastern Anatolian Project (GAP) Administration, the Mardin Governor’s Office and the Prime Ministry’s Promotional Fund, the Mardin Biennial is directed by Döne Otyam with assistance from Ayşegül Sönmez. The Mardin Biennial, which was first held two years ago, will be held between Sept. 21 and Oct. 21.