Organised by the İKSV with the support of 2007–2036 Biennial Sponsor Koç Holding, the 18th Istanbul Biennial’s first leg will be open between 20 September and 23 November 2025.
Admission to the 18th Istanbul Biennial is free of charge at all eight venues.
Curated by Christine Tohmé and titled The Three-Legged Cat, the 18th Istanbul Biennial will unfold over three years, from 2025 to 2027. The first leg of the 18th Istanbul Biennial will take place from 20 September to 23 November 2025. The second leg of the biennial in 2026 will be dedicated to creating an academy and collaborating with local initiatives on a series of public programmes. In 2027, the biennial will lean on its third leg to rest, bringing together what has been encountered along the way through a final round of exhibitions and workshops.
Press gathering in Istanbul
Photograph: Mühenna Kahveci
A press gathering was held in the Garden of the Former French Orphanage on 16 September for the 18th Istanbul Biennial.
Photograph: Mühenna Kahveci
At the gathering, İKSV Chairperson Bülent Eczacıbaşı said, “Organised by İKSV since 1987, the Istanbul Biennial is a central component of our Foundation’s vision to make Istanbul an international centre for culture and arts. Over the course of thirty-eight years, the Biennial has nourished Istanbul's art scene by inviting discussion about topics shaping contemporary art, sparking new debates, and presenting surprising forms of expression that are both thought-provoking and enriching. It has enriched Istanbul's art scene by offering not only high-quality exhibition and event programs but also a multi-layered space for dialogue. Each edition has created opportunities for audiences to encounter new ideas, new forms, and new worlds. Each edition has impacted how we relate to our city and the world and offered us opportunities to interpret life and current issues differently. At the same time, with the Biennial we are helping artists from Türkiye establish international connections and creating opportunities for meaningful interaction between culture and art circles in Türkiye and abroad. Through learning programs for young people and children; free guided tours for students, refugees, and people with diverse challenges; and a popular children’s book about the biennial we are distributing free of charge, we are doing all we can to ensure more people understand and appreciate contemporary art. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to our esteemed Biennial Curator Christine Tohmé, to the artists whose creativity made the Biennial possible, and to the entire team at İKSV. I would also like to convey my deepest gratitude to Koç Holding, our biennial sponsor from 2007 to 2036, for making the biennial exhibitions and event programs possible and enabling us to open our doors to audiences free of charge. Finally, I am very grateful for the vital support the Biennial receives from many companies and institutions.”
Ömer M. Koç, Chair of the Board of Directors of Koç Holding, the main sponsor of the Istanbul Biennial from 2007 to 2036, underlined that Koç Group regards its support for cultural continuity as an integral part of its social responsibility, and emphasized that in this context, Koç Holding proudly continues its role as the main sponsor of the Istanbul Biennial throughout the 2007–2036 period. “Next year, our Group will mark its 100th anniversary. In this transformative journey, on the threshold of a century and shaped by each step, we firmly believe that our sense of social responsibility toward the future is every bit as important as our commercial successes,” he said. Koç continued, stating that “the uncertainty and multifaceted challenges of our time are apparent to all,” and noted that we need the spaces of freedom, creative courage, and deep exploration that art provides more than ever. “The Istanbul Biennial provides artists with a space for critical creation, bringing together thought, intuition, and creativity through the diverse expressions of art. For this reason, I believe that the Biennial makes a significant contribution to both Istanbul and our country’s international reputation,” Koç concluded.
Photograph: Mühenna Kahveci
Artists and venues
The first leg of the 18th Istanbul Biennial focuses on themes of self-preservation and futurity. Christine Tohmé’s full curatorial statement is available on the biennial’s website.
As part of the first leg, works of 47 artists from around the world will be presented to audiences in eight different venues all located within walking distance of one another along the Beyoğlu-Karaköy axis of Istanbul.
The artists were invited to participate following an extensive research process involving studio visits, meetings, and a review of submissions received through an open call held between 31 October and 15 December 2024.
The 18th Istanbul Biennial takes place in the following venues: Galata Greek School, Zihni Han, Muradiye Han, Galeri 77, Cone Factory, Meclis-i Mebusan 35, Garden of the Former French Orphanage, and Elhamra Han. Further details about biennial venues can be found here.
Participating artists in the first leg of the biennial:
Galata Greek School – Nolan Oswald Dennis, İpek Duben, Ali Eyal, Simone Fattal, Lou Fauroux, Lungiswa Gqunta, Kongkee, Seta Manoukian, Merve Mepa, Naomi Rincón-Gallardo, Ana Vaz, Akram Zaatari, Ayman Zedani
Zihni Han – Abdullah Al Saadi, Willy Aractingi, Karimah Ashadu, Chen Ching-Yuan, Ian Davis, Celina Eceiza, Pélagie Gbaguidi, Rafik Greiss, Jasleen Kaur, Valentin Noujaïm, Marwan Rechmaoui, Stéphanie Saadé, Sara Sadik, Sohail Salem, Elif Saydam, Selma Selman
Muradiye Han – Ana Alenso
Galeri 77 – Haig Aivazian, Ola Hassanain, Mona Marzouk, Dilek Winchester
Cone Factory – Doruntina Kastrati, Claudia Pagès Rabal
Meclis-i Mebusan 35 – Eva Fàbregas, Pilar Quinteros, VASKOS (Vassilis Noulas & Kostas Tzimoulis)
Garden of the Former French Orphanage – Khalil Rabah
Elhamra Han – Mona Benyamin, Şafak Şule Kemancı, Jagdeep Raina, Riar Rizaldi, Lara Saab, Natasha Tontey, Sevil Tunaboylu
The full list of participants is also available here.
Public programme
The opening week of the Biennial will feature a public programme including live performances, a series of film screenings, and a lineup of DJ sets.
Selma Selman’s Motherboards, at Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, is conceived in collaboration with the artist’s family, and stages the extraction of gold from discarded electronics. At once an homage to Selman’s family business and a meditation on value, the work implicates the extractivist legacies of institutions and markets alike.
Alex Baczyński-Jenkins’ Untitled (Holding Horizon), at Arter’s Karbon space, is a durational dance performance that uses the box step as a vessel for rehearsing a sense of queer intimacy and collectivity, as it swings through memories of raves, funerals, and revolts.
Ahmad Ghossein’s So your heart aches, huh? or The Pit, staged as a monologue, unspools a personal attempt at remaining afloat amid Lebanon’s economic and political collapse, drawing on a self-directed study of hormones such as dopamine and oxytocin as strange alibis for joy.
The films included in the screening programme oscillate between speculative histories, geopolitical fault lines, and the autofictional. Maxime Hourani’s Stones Never Lie unfolds in the forests of Mount Lebanon. The film draws on Louis Auguste Blanqui’s speculative cosmology connecting a failed revolution, echoing the country’s civil war of 1860. Samar Al Summary’s What Goes Up navigates homesickness and displacement against the deadening backdrop of an Arizona airbase. Lawrence Abu Hamdan’s 45th Parallel examines borders and drone warfare through a single fatal bullet that crossed the USA-Mexico border in 2010. Suneil Sanzgiri’s An Impossible Address combines analogue ruin and digital reconstruction to explore shared anti-colonial histories between India and Africa, anchored in the revolutionary life – and disappearance – of Angolan anti-colonialist activist Sita Valles.
The opening programme also features DJ performances by Jtamul, Urok Shirhan, GLVRE, and LOKA.
A shared hub for gatherings and events: Zihni Han Floor Two
Zihni Han Floor Two is conceived as an open space for the visitors to pause, rest, and spend time together. A modest library will also be available, offering a selection of books connected to the exhibition and beyond. Visitors are welcome to browse or add to the collection, allowing the library to grow as a shared resource. Those interested in organising a gathering, conversation, workshop, or any other events are invited to send their proposals to ist.biennial.zihnihan2@iksv.org.
The programme at Zihni Han, running from 20 September to 23 November, will be continuously updated and can be accessed via the QR code displayed on site. Proposed events will be scheduled in line with the biennial’s calendar.
Admission to all public programme events is free of charge. Find out more about the public programme here.
Learning Programme
The programme for children and young people has been made possible through the support of Koç Holding. Held at the Galata Greek School in collaboration with PACE Kids Art Center, the learning programme offers participants the opportunity to view the exhibited works closely and engage in conversations.
The Biennial’s Children’s Book: Optigull and Pesigull
Since 2017, Istanbul’s seagulls Optigull and Pesigull have embarked on new adventures with each biennial. They return for the 18th Istanbul Biennial in Optigull and Pesigull: The Map of Lost Sounds, a new story published with the support of the Hisar School. Written by Yekta Kopan, illustrated by Gökçe Akgül, and edited by Burcu Ural Kopan, the book follows the two seagulls as they search for their lost friends among the biennial venues,guiding readers through the diversity that Istanbul harbours. Optigull and Pesigull will be available free of charge, at the Galata Greek School in October.
Visitor information
Venues are open between 10.00 and 18.00 every day except Mondays.
Garden of the Former French Orphanage will be open every day between 09.00 and 23.00.
For the opening week, the exhibitions will also be open on Monday, 22 September.
Guided tours
The Guided Tour programme of the 18th Istanbul Biennial offers visitors the opportunity to explore the biennial exhibitions accompanied by expert guides who have completed their training with the support of 2007–2036 Biennial Sponsor Koç Holding. In addition to single-venue tours at the biennial’s two main venues – Galata Greek School and Zihni Han – multiple-venue tours are also offered, each following one of two routes and in Beyoğlu or Karaköy, encompassing four exhibition venues.
Tickets can be purchased in advance via Passo or the Passo mobile app, or on the day at the ticket desks located at the Galata Greek School and Zihni Han, which also serve as meeting points for the single-venue tours.
Information on Guided Tours, Stroller Mornings, Accessible Biennial Tours with the support of DenizBank, İKSV’s Accessible Arts Partner and with the consultancy of Erişilebilir Her Şey (Accessible Everything), Refugee Tours with the consultancy of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and Biennial Exclusive Tours are available here.
About the supporters of the 18th Istanbul Biennial
The 18th Istanbul Biennial is organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and has been made possible with the sponsorship of Koç Holding since 2007. Admission to the biennial is free of charge in all venues.
All events of İKSV are supported by its Founding Sponsor Eczacıbaşı Group.
The biennial’s Hospitality Sponsor is Divan, while its Technology Sponsor is Arçelik. DenizBank is the Accessible Arts Partner of İKSV. The Biennial’s Project Partner is Hisar Schools, Automobile Sponsor is Ford Otomotiv San. A.Ş., and Special Project Sponsor is TAV Airports. The
Marmara Group is Accommodation and Venue Sponsor of İKSV.
ARTFACTORY, Diageo Türkiye, Dinçer Logistics, Magdeburger Sigorta A.Ş, Mastercard, Soho House, Sub Karaköy and tonwelt are among the contributing corporations of the Biennial. The Biennial’s 2015–2025 Paint Sponsor is Polisan Kansai Boya and Lighting Sponsor is TEPTA. Other supporters of the Biennial are MEKE, NOA, Piksel.Creative Solutions, Sotheby’s, The Peninsula İstanbul, Türk Ekonomi Bankası (TEB), TSKB (Türkiye Sınai ve Kalkınma Bankası) and VitrA.
The projects of the participants from Türkiye are supported by SAHA.
The Biennial receives further patronage from a number of other supporters, international funders, and funding bodies. These include British Council, Institut Français, Ramon Llull Institute, Consulate of the Netherlands, Saastamoinen Foundation, Henry Moore Foundation, Catapulta, SPOT Projects, Adam Mickiewicz Institute co-financed by the Poland Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Goethe Institut - Istanbul, Consulate of Argentina, Lycée Français Saint Benoît Istanbul, European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC), Frame Foundation, Consulate of Brazil, and Hellenic Republic Ministry of Culture.
İKSV Service Sponsors are Zurich Sigorta, American Hospital, Insider, Mindbehind, Toraman OSGB, GfK, Mindshare, Somera, Boosmart and Wiseback.
Main patrons of this edition are Oya & Bülent Eczacıbaşı and Ömer Koç. Patrons are; Ayşe Umur, Emin Hitay, Melda & Serkan Aygın, Özgür Tanrıkulu, Tansa Mermerci, Arzuhan & Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ. Friends are; Adnan Yerebakan, Amanda Love, Berrak & Nezih Barut, Elif Tukin Oygur, Elvan Tuğsuz Güven, Hatice & Jan Frederik Marx, Zafer Yıldırım.
The Biennial’s visual identity and the graphic design of the publications are made by Okay Karadayılar.
