Iwona Blazwick has been appointed as the Curator of the 18th Istanbul Biennial, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Art (iKSV). The Biennial will occur in 2024, from 14 September until 17 November. The Istanbul Biennial is the most comprehensive international exhibition organized in Türkiye and the region, playing an essential role in promoting contemporary artists and artist collectives.
Iwona Blazwich OBE is a curator, writer, and art historian. She held the position of Director at the Whitechapel Gallery in London from 2001 to 2022 and previously worked with many renowned institutions in her practice. Currently, she is the curator for the Royal Commission’s Arts AlUla initiative in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, Blazwhich’s career as an independent curator ranges from exhibitions and public art projects across Europe, the United States, Japan, and China.
The Istanbul Biennial has hosted a wide variety of artist collectives since its founding and is celebrated for being a platform for the international arts in the region. The Biennial operates using an exhibition framework that facilitates direct interaction between artists of varied backgrounds and the viewers. Aside from presenting art crafted for specific locations, another vital aspect of the Istanbul Biennial is its exploration of unconventional and historic sites through the lens of contemporary artworks. Throughout its history, the Istanbul Biennial has effectively utilized over 100 distinct locations within the city. These include notable places like the Hagia Sophia Museum, the Atatürk Cultural Centre, the Princes' Islands, the Bosphorus Bridge, the Maiden Tower, and the Antrepo Buildings.
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Renzo Piano's Istanbul Modern, the First Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Türkiye, Opens to the PublicFollowing the two initial biennials organized under Beral Madra’s general coordination in 1987 and 1989, iKSV made the decision to transition to a single curator approach. Ever since, the Istanbul Biennial has been organized with different curators. This list includes René Block (1995), Rosa Martínez (1997), Paolo Colombo (1999), Yuko Hasegawa (2001), Dan Cameron (2003), Charles Esche and Vasif Kortun (2005), and Hou Hanru (2007). It was also curated by WHW—What, How & for Whom (2009), Jens Hoffmann and Adriano Pedrosa (2011), and Fulya Erdemci in 2013.
Since its establishment in 1987, the Istanbul Biennial has provided a platform for more than 1,200 individual artists and artist groups. This event stands as the most extensive global arts showcase in its region, generating a total of 650 original site-specific artworks. Beyond its artistic dimension, the Istanbul Biennial plays a vital role as a catalyst for both civic engagement and cultural interaction. Based in Istanbul, a city with one of the most ancient histories of human habitation, the event activates a conversation with the city. The city-wide program encourages exploration of our contemporary understanding of culture and Istanbul’s deep and varied past.
