Organised by the İKSV with the support of 2007-2036 Biennial Sponsor Koç Holding, the first leg of the 18th Istanbul Biennial concluded on Sunday, 23 November 2025.
Beginning with preview days on 16 September, the biennial welcomed more than 600,000 visitors over its 10-week run.
Curated by Christine Tohmé, the biennial brought together works by 47 artists from around the world, presented across eight venues located within walking distance of one another along the Beyoğlu–Karaköy axis. This encouraged visitors to experience the biennial entirely on foot and to engage with the historical and architectural character of each site.
The venues of the 18th Istanbul Biennial were: Galata Greek School, Zihni Han, Muradiye Han, Galeri 77, Cone Factory, Meclis-i Mebusan 35, the Garden of the Former French Orphanage, and Elhamra Han.
Khalil Rabah’s Work to Remain on View After the Biennial
Photograph: Sahir Uğur Eren
Khalil Rabah’s work Red Navigapparate (2025), exhibited as part of the 18th Istanbul Biennial, will remain in the Garden of the Former French Orphanage after the biennial concludes. Its extended display is made possible through the support of Koç Holding, the biennial’s sponsor, and the kind hosting of the Beyoğlu Municipality. The installation will be on view at the Former French Orphanage until 31 May 2026 and its next location will be determined later in 2026.
Biennial’s Public Programme
Photograph: Mete Kaan Özdilek
Zihni Han Floor Two functioned as a communal meeting point where visitors could rest, read, and organise their own gatherings and workshops. Throughout the biennial, the space hosted a wide range of talks, workshops, and activities engaging with themes of solidarity, materiality, collective production, and care. A modest library was also available, inviting visitors to browse the shelves for books related to the exhibition. Over the course of the biennial, more than 30 free events were held at Zihni Han Floor Two, including linocut printing, 3D origami, humour workshops, film screenings, and various collective production workshops.
Children and Youth at the Biennial
Photograph: Mete Kaan Özdilek
Learning Programme
Supported by Koç Holding and organised in collaboration with PACE Children’s Art Centre, the biennial’s Learning Programme welcomed children and young people to the Galata Greek School. Participants examined selected works, exchanged ideas, and created their own artworks inspired by the exhibition. A total of 2,155 students took part in the programme.
Optigull and Pesigull: The Map of Lost Sounds
Photograph: Fatih Yılmaz
The beloved seagulls Optigull and Pesigull—companions of the biennial since 2017—returned with a new children’s book, Optigull and Pesigull: The Map of Lost Sounds, supported by Hisar Schools, written by Yekta Kopan, illustrated by Gökçe Akgül, and edited by Burcu Ural Kopan. The book, which was printed in 10,000 copies in Turkish and 4,000 copies in English, was distributed free of charge to young visitors at the Galata Greek School and Zihni Han. The book will be available after the biennial at İKSV Alt Kat.
Guided Tours
Photograph: Salih Üstündağ
The biennial offered a wide range of guided tours, including multi-venue routes and single-venue introductions, as well as a series of special free tours. Twenty guides, who completed their training with the support of Koç Holding, accompanied 7,232 attendees throughout the exhibition, enriching their experience of the works on view.
Special Biennial Tours
Photograph: Mete Kaan Özdilek
Accessible Biennial Tours for visitors with visual or hearing differences were offered free of charge with the support of DenizBank and in coordination with Erişilebilir Her Şey (Accessible Everything).
Photograph: Mete Kaan Özdilek
In collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), specially designed Refugee Tours were organised, shaped by principles of social inclusion and sensitivity to exhibition content.
Production Tours, also offered free of charge, provided behind-the-scenes insights into the making of biennial works at Zihni Han. These tours concluded in the reading lounge with informal discussions and opportunities to explore biennial publications and printed materials.
International Media and Cultural Institutions at the Biennial
Representatives from leading global press outlets—including the Financial Times, The Art Newspaper, Corriere della Sera, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Canvas, ArchDaily, El País, Frieze, Artforum, Kunstforum, Texte zur Kunst, Art Press, ArtAsiaPacific, Cornucopia, La Repubblica, Die Welt, Die Presse, Tagesspiegel, e-flux, Ocula, and Folha de São Paulo—visited the biennial, which was widely covered in international art publications.
The biennial also welcomed representatives from major museums and cultural institutions abroad, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sursock Museum, Beirut Art Center, ICA Yerevan, National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens, Toledo Museum of Art, Lenbachhaus, Hirshhorn Museum, Guggenheim Museum, MoMA, Frieze, Sharjah Art Foundation, Alserkal Avenue, Autostrada Biennale, Venice Biennale, LUMA Arles, Mophradat, KADIST, Art Jameel, Rijksmuseum, Palais de Tokyo, Fondazione Merz, Associação Cultural Videobrasil, the International Biennials Association, EUNIC (EU National Institutes for Culture), Tate, SAVVY Contemporary, Sculpture Projects Münster, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Brooklyn Museum, Kunstverein Hamburg, and the Asian Art Museum.
Supporters
The 18th Istanbul Biennial was organised by the İKSV and was made possible with the support of 2007-2036 Biennial Sponsor Koç Holding.
İKSV acknowledges the kind contributions of the 18th Istanbul Biennial’s supporters.
