Istanbul Biennial postponed to 2025

ISTANBUL

The 18th Istanbul Biennial, for which the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) has been working since March last year with some 58 artists from around the world to realize the event this September, has been postponed to 2025, İKSV has announced.

"The curatorial framework proposed for the biennial explored the role of art in the aftermath of loss and trauma, facilitating the production of dozens of new works of art and fruitful new local and international collaborations," IKSV said in a written statement.

Meanwhile, in response to criticism of its decision-making procedures, İKSV reviewed its governance mechanisms with the goal of making them more participatory.

"Our goal, as always, was to ensure that the Istanbul Biennial provided a platform for artistic expression, dialogue and interaction. However, we have witnessed the emergence of undesired divisions in art circles that are adversely affecting artists who had already agreed or might have agreed to participate in the biennial as well as collaborations and partnerships. Unfortunately, this situation has made it impossible to hold the Istanbul Biennial as planned," the statement said.

“We will ensure that the Istanbul Biennial returns to audiences in 2025, following a new process carried out within the framework of our new regulations.”