The 13th Istanbul Biennial: Anne, ben barbar mıyım? (Mom, am I barbarian?)
14 September–20 October 2013
Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts
Nejat Eczacıbaşı Binası
Sadi Konuralp Caddesi No: 5
Şişhane 34433 İstanbul Turkey
T +90 212 334 07 64
F +90 212 334 07 05
ist.biennial [at] iksv.org
Curated by: Fulya Erdemci
Organised by: Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts
The 13th Istanbul Biennial, titled Mom, am I barbarian?,curated by Fulya Erdemci and organized by Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) will close on October 20, 2013. The 13th Istanbul Biennial exhibition, which is the first edition of the Istanbul Biennial with free admission, can be visited until the end of the day on 20 October.
Over 300,000 visitors are expected to attend the biennial exhibitions in five venues, doubling the audience number of the previous edition. The size of local and international audience, extensive media coverage and outstanding reviews of the Biennial are indicative of the role that art, artistic collaboration and ground-breaking thought and practice can play in society, as well as the growing interest in contemporary art.
The 13thIstanbul Biennial has brought together pioneering and contemporary works of over 88 artists, artist collectives and performers from all around the world. The exhibition has been complemented with an extensive events program, featuring original performances, workshops, concerts, film screenings, panels, lectures and conferences. Events before the exhibition closing include a special screening of Jean Genet’s film Un Chant d’amour on Friday, 18 October at 19:30h and a musical performance by Koroçapulporte on Sunday, 20 October at 19h, both at Galata Greek Primary School. The Koroçapulporte Ensemble of professional and amateur musicians of all age groups will present a musical, visual and theatrical summary of the Gezi Resistance. Information on participating artists, list of Biennial events and performances, and the electronic version of the Biennial Guide are available here.
The Biennial Book, featuring a full visual documentation of the exhibition and original essays and contributions by renowned authors including Alberto López Cuenca, Andrea Philips, Dan Hind, İlhan Tekeli, Suhail Malik, Suna Ertuğrul and Süreyyya Evren will be published in December by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts and Yapı Kredi Publications.
Mom, am I barbarian? curated by Fulya Erdemci,borrowing its title from poet Lale Müldür‘sbook, focuses on the theme of public space as a political forum. The biennial exhibition has aspired to open up a space to rethink the concept of ‘publicness’ through art and elicit imagination and innovative thought to contribute to social engagement and discussion at time when questions around publicness, art and public spaces as political forum have become ever more pertinent in local, national and global contexts. Bringing together pioneering established artists with emerging, younger generation artists and aiming to reflect the geopolitical diversity in the field of art in public domain, the exhibition has offered unique artistic practices, avenues of thinking, and platforms of exchange in a highly politicized local and international climate.
The 13th Istanbul Biennial, Mom, am I barbarian? can be visited at Antrepo no.3, Galata Greek Primary School, ARTER, SALT Beyoğlu until 20 October. Collaboration with art institutions such as ARTER and SALT Beyoğlu, and an independent artist initiative, 5533, in the framework of the exhibition has also corresponded to the questions around artistic communities, art institutions and cooperation the Biennial explores.
The electronic version of the 13th Istanbul Biennial guide is available on the biennial website.
For more information on the 13th Istanbul Biennial, please visit the biennial website.
Media relations:
Elif Obdan, T + 90 212 334 07 13 / elif.obdan [at] iksv.org
Rhiannon Pickles, M +31 (0) 6158 21202 / rhiannon [at] picklespr.com
Caroline Widmer, M +44 (0) 79 0884 8075 / caroline [at] picklespr.com
