In 2017, the year that marks the Biennial’s 30th anniversary, the Istanbul Biennial decided to invite one artist per biennial to produce a work to be permanently exhibited in a public space in Istanbul, in collaboration with the 2007-2036 Biennial Sponsor Koç Holding.

The first work in this context was the neon sculpture Where Do We Go From Here? by Ugo Rondinone, one of the most colourful and prolific names in the art world. Once exhibited at the Taksim Square in 1999’s 6th Istanbul Biennial, the work has been reunited with the city in its new venue, Mustafa Kemal Cultural Centre (MKM), near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge over the Bosphorus.

At the 16th Istanbul Biennial in 2019, Monster Chetwynd's Gorgon's Playground, inspired by fairy tales and mythology, and designed as a children's playground, was installed in Maçka Sanat Park.

The 17th Istanbul Biennial invited Ayşe Erkmen to produce a permanent sculptural work in 2022. Erkmen's Golden Horn in Golden Horn, located in Akşemsettin Park between Balat Hospital and the ferry dock, is based on the mysterious and dynamic form of The Golden Horn, the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul.