Organised by the İKSV with the support of 2007-2036 Biennial Sponsor Koç Holding, the 18th Istanbul Biennial’s title and conceptual framework were announced at a press conference held at the historic Beyoğlu Sports Club on Tuesday, 25 February.
Istanbul Biennial Director Kevser Güler and curator Christine Tohmé explained the curatorial approach and announced the title of the Biennial as The Three-Legged Cat. The Biennial will be open to the public free of charge, centring on themes of self-preservation and futurity.
Photograph: Salih Üstündağ
A media preview will be held on 16-19 September, with professional preview days on 18 and 19 September.
The history of Beyoğlu Sports Club, where the press conference was held, dates back to 1877. Founded by Istanbul Greeks under the name Ermis, the club was renamed Athlitikos Sillogos Pera in 1886 and Peraclub in 1914. Since the establishment of the Republic, it has been known as Beyoğlu Sports Club. It also features a museum showcasing the club’s deep-rooted significance in Istanbul’s sporting history. As part of the 18th Istanbul Biennial, the club will host various performances.
Photograph: Salih Üstündağ
The Three-Legged Cat
Photograph: Salih Üstündağ
Christine Tohmé explains the three-year structure of the Biennial in her curatorial text: ‘Resting on three legs from 2025 through 2027, the 18th Istanbul Biennial is thoroughly feline. It secures its footing by stretching in time, following a rhythm nourished by conversations, gymnastics, and incessant news streams. Its first leg, running from 20 September to 23 November 2025, presents an exhibition with over 40 artists, alongside performances, screenings, and talks centered on themes of self-preservation and futurity. The second leg, in 2026, is dedicated to creating an academy and collaborating with local initiatives on a series of public programmes. In 2027, the biennial leans on its third leg to rest, bringing together what has been encountered along the way through a final round of exhibitions and workshops.’
For the complete curatorial text, please click here.
Open call for artists
An open call was launched to artists for the first leg of the 18th Istanbul Biennial. Running from 31 October to 15 December 2024, the call received nearly 1,500 submissions from 105 countries. Once the curator’s evaluations are complete, all applicants will be notified of the result by the end of March 2025.
About Christine Tohmé
Photograph: © Tanya Traboulsi, 2024.
Christine Tohmé’s curatorial and institutional practice engages with cultural production, arts education, and community building. In 1993, Tohmé founded Ashkal Alwan, a non-profit organisation that continues to support contemporary artistic practices through various initiatives, including the tuition-free study programme, Home Workspace Programme (2011–present), and online platforms Perpetual Postponement and aashra. As a curator, Tohmé conceived numerous multidisciplinary programmes, including Home Works: A Forum on Cultural Practices, Beirut (2002–present), and Sharjah Biennial 13: Tamawuj, which spanned multiple cities (2017–2018). Her work has been recognised with the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture (2018), the CCS Bard Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence (2015), and the Prince Claus Award (2006). She serves on the boards of the International Biennial Association and Haven for Artists, a feminist cultural organisation based in Beirut. She lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon.
18th Istanbul Biennial overview
The 18th Istanbul Biennial is organised by the İKSV and sponsored by 2007-2036 Biennial Sponsor Koç Holding with additional support from international partners and funding bodies.
Since its inception in 1987, the Biennial has hosted over 1,200 artists and artist collectives, becoming the most comprehensive international arts exhibition in the region. The Biennial aims to create a meeting point in Istanbul, in the field of visual arts between artists from diverse cultures and the audience. The seventeen biennials İKSV has organised up to now have enabled the formation of an international cultural network between local and international art circles, artists, curators and art critics by bringing together new trends in contemporary art. In addition to site-specific works, introducing alternative and historical venues in the context of contemporary art exhibitions has been another essential component of the Istanbul Biennial.
Istanbul Biennial Advisory Board
The Istanbul Biennial Advisory Board consists of academic and critic Ahu Antmen, curator Lydia Gatundu Galavu, artist Gözde İlkin, researcher, curator and art director Renan Laru-an, and curator and museum director Sally Tallant.
For details of the Advisory Board’s working principles and curator selection process, please click here.
