Curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh, the 17th edition of the Istanbul Biennial started on 17th September. Unlike previous iterations, the Istanbul Biennial this year comes together in the context of a process rather than a theme or title, and puts compost - a natural method in which many different organic wastes are brought together and decomposed - as its inspiration. From this point of view, in the 17th edition of Istanbul Biennial artists were invited to share and develop their practices in their most raw form, rather than presenting a finished work. This year, then, the Istanbul Biennial functions as a kind of seedbed, where the audience has the opportunity to witness the evolution of artworks as they are developed.
In a break with tradition, the Biennial started earlier, and will run for longer than its usual eight-week period. Giving importance to the active participation of the audience, the 17th Istanbul Biennial also aims to create new ways of interacting and relating to people, our environment and the world.
The biennial - which can be visited free of charge until November 20 - spreads to different venues in Istanbul. Taking place in the Fatih, Beyoğlu, Zeytinburnu and Kadıköy districts, the biennial also offers good opportunities for visitors to explore Istanbul. The venues include a medicinal plants garden, two hammams (Turkish baths), a metro tunnel and a 19th century Greek girls’ school, along with non-physical venues such as newspapers, magazines, and a radio program.
Unlike its previous editions, the 17th Istanbul Biennial is not centered around individual works by artists, but also includes various interdisciplinary collectives beyond the borders of the art world; a radio program featuring different voices, a forum that glorifies pluralism through group cooking and eating mantı (a ravioli-like dish served with yogurt), festivals and magazines that draw attention to dialogue and creative action all contribute to this year’s Biennial.
Also part of the biennial program is A Poetry Line, a poetry-oriented program in which fifteen poets selected for a year will write a new poem each month, to eventually become a book. In addition, performative poetry readings will be held at unannounced moments and places.
One of the biennial venues used for the first time is Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden; housing close to 700 medicinal plants and also serving as the biennial’s press venue, Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden features the water garden of Mariah Lookman filled with ferns and lotus flowers, specially prepared for the biennial. At the press conference of the biennial, the Research and Promotion of Turkish Music (TÜMATA) group performed a composition accompanying this water garden. Using the principles of Turkish music therapy, the songs played by the traditional music group were composed in a dialogue that lasted for months with the artist Lookman. The water garden will remain at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden after the biennial as a public space, where visitors can relax, contemplate and find healing.
Before the biennial started, Lookman also had planted nearly 30 seeds of tropical plants brought from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, again accompanied by the live music performance of the TÜMATA group. Mentioned in the Bhela Samhita, one of the oldest texts of Ayurveda, these seeds were planted in the garden in a ceremonial spirit, and now, in their sprouting form, invite visitors to contemplate and relax in the enchanting climate of the tropics.
At Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, one of the oldest baths in Istanbul, the Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui brings together two of his works for the sound installation The Whispering Playground. Working in the field of sound performance and composition, the artist here explores the soundscape of Istanbul's still active ports, as a continuation of his Waters’ Witness series. The Whispering Playground, which is also part of The Whisperers series, is developed based on Atoui's work in his son’s kindergarten by referring to educational practices, sound perceptions and sound games. The noises coming from the objects and containers - connected by cables in the space - invite the audience to listen and draw attention to the effects of urbanization on coastal ecologies.
Another impressive artwork in the biennial is Ursula Biemann’s video Vocal Cognitive Territory, a joint project with Devenir Universidad. Exhibited at the Gazhane Museum, a gas power plant which was converted into a museum in 2021, the video includes information about the rainforests of the Inga community in Colombia. With the view that the protection of the world’s biodiversity and the knowledge that comes with it is a matter of urgency, Biemann has created an indigenous university named Devenir Universidad in 2018 with the Inga people from Colombia in the Andean region of the Amazons. Telling the territorial history and memory of the elders via the prominent figures of the Inga community, the video creates a sonic field of voices.
Presenting many interesting artworks and venues to explore, Istanbul Biennial also offers a good opportunity to explore the dynamic art field of Istanbul via new exhibitions and art programs of galleries and museums within the framework of events parallel to the biennial.
Curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh, the 17th edition of the Istanbul Biennial started on 17th September. Unlike previous iterations, the Istanbul Biennial this year comes together in the context of a process rather than a theme or title, and puts compost - a natural method in which many different organic wastes are brought together and decomposed - as its inspiration. From this point of view, in the 17th edition of Istanbul Biennial artists were invited to share and develop their practices in their most raw form, rather than presenting a finished work. This year, then, the Istanbul Biennial functions as a kind of seedbed, where the audience has the opportunity to witness the evolution of artworks as they are developed.
In a break with tradition, the Biennial started earlier, and will run for longer than its usual eight-week period. Giving importance to the active participation of the audience, the 17th Istanbul Biennial also aims to create new ways of interacting and relating to people, our environment and the world.
The biennial - which can be visited free of charge until November 20 - spreads to different venues in Istanbul. Taking place in the Fatih, Beyoğlu, Zeytinburnu and Kadıköy districts, the biennial also offers good opportunities for visitors to explore Istanbul. The venues include a medicinal plants garden, two hammams (Turkish baths), a metro tunnel and a 19th century Greek girls’ school, along with non-physical venues such as newspapers, magazines, and a radio program.
Unlike its previous editions, the 17th Istanbul Biennial is not centered around individual works by artists, but also includes various interdisciplinary collectives beyond the borders of the art world; a radio program featuring different voices, a forum that glorifies pluralism through group cooking and eating mantı (a ravioli-like dish served with yogurt), festivals and magazines that draw attention to dialogue and creative action all contribute to this year’s Biennial.
Also part of the biennial program is A Poetry Line, a poetry-oriented program in which fifteen poets selected for a year will write a new poem each month, to eventually become a book. In addition, performative poetry readings will be held at unannounced moments and places.
One of the biennial venues used for the first time is Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden; housing close to 700 medicinal plants and also serving as the biennial’s press venue, Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden features the water garden of Mariah Lookman filled with ferns and lotus flowers, specially prepared for the biennial. At the press conference of the biennial, the Research and Promotion of Turkish Music (TÜMATA) group performed a composition accompanying this water garden. Using the principles of Turkish music therapy, the songs played by the traditional music group were composed in a dialogue that lasted for months with the artist Lookman. The water garden will remain at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden after the biennial as a public space, where visitors can relax, contemplate and find healing.
Before the biennial started, Lookman also had planted nearly 30 seeds of tropical plants brought from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, again accompanied by the live music performance of the TÜMATA group. Mentioned in the Bhela Samhita, one of the oldest texts of Ayurveda, these seeds were planted in the garden in a ceremonial spirit, and now, in their sprouting form, invite visitors to contemplate and relax in the enchanting climate of the tropics.
At Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, one of the oldest baths in Istanbul, the Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui brings together two of his works for the sound installation The Whispering Playground. Working in the field of sound performance and composition, the artist here explores the soundscape of Istanbul's still active ports, as a continuation of his Waters’ Witness series. The Whispering Playground, which is also part of The Whisperers series, is developed based on Atoui's work in his son’s kindergarten by referring to educational practices, sound perceptions and sound games. The noises coming from the objects and containers - connected by cables in the space - invite the audience to listen and draw attention to the effects of urbanization on coastal ecologies.
Another impressive artwork in the biennial is Ursula Biemann’s video Vocal Cognitive Territory, a joint project with Devenir Universidad. Exhibited at the Gazhane Museum, a gas power plant which was converted into a museum in 2021, the video includes information about the rainforests of the Inga community in Colombia. With the view that the protection of the world’s biodiversity and the knowledge that comes with it is a matter of urgency, Biemann has created an indigenous university named Devenir Universidad in 2018 with the Inga people from Colombia in the Andean region of the Amazons. Telling the territorial history and memory of the elders via the prominent figures of the Inga community, the video creates a sonic field of voices.
Presenting many interesting artworks and venues to explore, Istanbul Biennial also offers a good opportunity to explore the dynamic art field of Istanbul via new exhibitions and art programs of galleries and museums within the framework of events parallel to the biennial.
Curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh, the 17th edition of the Istanbul Biennial started on 17th September. Unlike previous iterations, the Istanbul Biennial this year comes together in the context of a process rather than a theme or title, and puts compost - a natural method in which many different organic wastes are brought together and decomposed - as its inspiration. From this point of view, in the 17th edition of Istanbul Biennial artists were invited to share and develop their practices in their most raw form, rather than presenting a finished work. This year, then, the Istanbul Biennial functions as a kind of seedbed, where the audience has the opportunity to witness the evolution of artworks as they are developed.
In a break with tradition, the Biennial started earlier, and will run for longer than its usual eight-week period. Giving importance to the active participation of the audience, the 17th Istanbul Biennial also aims to create new ways of interacting and relating to people, our environment and the world.
The biennial - which can be visited free of charge until November 20 - spreads to different venues in Istanbul. Taking place in the Fatih, Beyoğlu, Zeytinburnu and Kadıköy districts, the biennial also offers good opportunities for visitors to explore Istanbul. The venues include a medicinal plants garden, two hammams (Turkish baths), a metro tunnel and a 19th century Greek girls’ school, along with non-physical venues such as newspapers, magazines, and a radio program.
Unlike its previous editions, the 17th Istanbul Biennial is not centered around individual works by artists, but also includes various interdisciplinary collectives beyond the borders of the art world; a radio program featuring different voices, a forum that glorifies pluralism through group cooking and eating mantı (a ravioli-like dish served with yogurt), festivals and magazines that draw attention to dialogue and creative action all contribute to this year’s Biennial.
Also part of the biennial program is A Poetry Line, a poetry-oriented program in which fifteen poets selected for a year will write a new poem each month, to eventually become a book. In addition, performative poetry readings will be held at unannounced moments and places.
One of the biennial venues used for the first time is Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden; housing close to 700 medicinal plants and also serving as the biennial’s press venue, Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden features the water garden of Mariah Lookman filled with ferns and lotus flowers, specially prepared for the biennial. At the press conference of the biennial, the Research and Promotion of Turkish Music (TÜMATA) group performed a composition accompanying this water garden. Using the principles of Turkish music therapy, the songs played by the traditional music group were composed in a dialogue that lasted for months with the artist Lookman. The water garden will remain at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden after the biennial as a public space, where visitors can relax, contemplate and find healing.
Before the biennial started, Lookman also had planted nearly 30 seeds of tropical plants brought from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, again accompanied by the live music performance of the TÜMATA group. Mentioned in the Bhela Samhita, one of the oldest texts of Ayurveda, these seeds were planted in the garden in a ceremonial spirit, and now, in their sprouting form, invite visitors to contemplate and relax in the enchanting climate of the tropics.
At Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, one of the oldest baths in Istanbul, the Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui brings together two of his works for the sound installation The Whispering Playground. Working in the field of sound performance and composition, the artist here explores the soundscape of Istanbul's still active ports, as a continuation of his Waters’ Witness series. The Whispering Playground, which is also part of The Whisperers series, is developed based on Atoui's work in his son’s kindergarten by referring to educational practices, sound perceptions and sound games. The noises coming from the objects and containers - connected by cables in the space - invite the audience to listen and draw attention to the effects of urbanization on coastal ecologies.
Another impressive artwork in the biennial is Ursula Biemann’s video Vocal Cognitive Territory, a joint project with Devenir Universidad. Exhibited at the Gazhane Museum, a gas power plant which was converted into a museum in 2021, the video includes information about the rainforests of the Inga community in Colombia. With the view that the protection of the world’s biodiversity and the knowledge that comes with it is a matter of urgency, Biemann has created an indigenous university named Devenir Universidad in 2018 with the Inga people from Colombia in the Andean region of the Amazons. Telling the territorial history and memory of the elders via the prominent figures of the Inga community, the video creates a sonic field of voices.
Presenting many interesting artworks and venues to explore, Istanbul Biennial also offers a good opportunity to explore the dynamic art field of Istanbul via new exhibitions and art programs of galleries and museums within the framework of events parallel to the biennial.
Curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh, the 17th edition of the Istanbul Biennial started on 17th September. Unlike previous iterations, the Istanbul Biennial this year comes together in the context of a process rather than a theme or title, and puts compost - a natural method in which many different organic wastes are brought together and decomposed - as its inspiration. From this point of view, in the 17th edition of Istanbul Biennial artists were invited to share and develop their practices in their most raw form, rather than presenting a finished work. This year, then, the Istanbul Biennial functions as a kind of seedbed, where the audience has the opportunity to witness the evolution of artworks as they are developed.
In a break with tradition, the Biennial started earlier, and will run for longer than its usual eight-week period. Giving importance to the active participation of the audience, the 17th Istanbul Biennial also aims to create new ways of interacting and relating to people, our environment and the world.
The biennial - which can be visited free of charge until November 20 - spreads to different venues in Istanbul. Taking place in the Fatih, Beyoğlu, Zeytinburnu and Kadıköy districts, the biennial also offers good opportunities for visitors to explore Istanbul. The venues include a medicinal plants garden, two hammams (Turkish baths), a metro tunnel and a 19th century Greek girls’ school, along with non-physical venues such as newspapers, magazines, and a radio program.
Unlike its previous editions, the 17th Istanbul Biennial is not centered around individual works by artists, but also includes various interdisciplinary collectives beyond the borders of the art world; a radio program featuring different voices, a forum that glorifies pluralism through group cooking and eating mantı (a ravioli-like dish served with yogurt), festivals and magazines that draw attention to dialogue and creative action all contribute to this year’s Biennial.
Also part of the biennial program is A Poetry Line, a poetry-oriented program in which fifteen poets selected for a year will write a new poem each month, to eventually become a book. In addition, performative poetry readings will be held at unannounced moments and places.
One of the biennial venues used for the first time is Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden; housing close to 700 medicinal plants and also serving as the biennial’s press venue, Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden features the water garden of Mariah Lookman filled with ferns and lotus flowers, specially prepared for the biennial. At the press conference of the biennial, the Research and Promotion of Turkish Music (TÜMATA) group performed a composition accompanying this water garden. Using the principles of Turkish music therapy, the songs played by the traditional music group were composed in a dialogue that lasted for months with the artist Lookman. The water garden will remain at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden after the biennial as a public space, where visitors can relax, contemplate and find healing.
Before the biennial started, Lookman also had planted nearly 30 seeds of tropical plants brought from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, again accompanied by the live music performance of the TÜMATA group. Mentioned in the Bhela Samhita, one of the oldest texts of Ayurveda, these seeds were planted in the garden in a ceremonial spirit, and now, in their sprouting form, invite visitors to contemplate and relax in the enchanting climate of the tropics.
At Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, one of the oldest baths in Istanbul, the Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui brings together two of his works for the sound installation The Whispering Playground. Working in the field of sound performance and composition, the artist here explores the soundscape of Istanbul's still active ports, as a continuation of his Waters’ Witness series. The Whispering Playground, which is also part of The Whisperers series, is developed based on Atoui's work in his son’s kindergarten by referring to educational practices, sound perceptions and sound games. The noises coming from the objects and containers - connected by cables in the space - invite the audience to listen and draw attention to the effects of urbanization on coastal ecologies.
Another impressive artwork in the biennial is Ursula Biemann’s video Vocal Cognitive Territory, a joint project with Devenir Universidad. Exhibited at the Gazhane Museum, a gas power plant which was converted into a museum in 2021, the video includes information about the rainforests of the Inga community in Colombia. With the view that the protection of the world’s biodiversity and the knowledge that comes with it is a matter of urgency, Biemann has created an indigenous university named Devenir Universidad in 2018 with the Inga people from Colombia in the Andean region of the Amazons. Telling the territorial history and memory of the elders via the prominent figures of the Inga community, the video creates a sonic field of voices.
Presenting many interesting artworks and venues to explore, Istanbul Biennial also offers a good opportunity to explore the dynamic art field of Istanbul via new exhibitions and art programs of galleries and museums within the framework of events parallel to the biennial.
Curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh, the 17th edition of the Istanbul Biennial started on 17th September. Unlike previous iterations, the Istanbul Biennial this year comes together in the context of a process rather than a theme or title, and puts compost - a natural method in which many different organic wastes are brought together and decomposed - as its inspiration. From this point of view, in the 17th edition of Istanbul Biennial artists were invited to share and develop their practices in their most raw form, rather than presenting a finished work. This year, then, the Istanbul Biennial functions as a kind of seedbed, where the audience has the opportunity to witness the evolution of artworks as they are developed.
In a break with tradition, the Biennial started earlier, and will run for longer than its usual eight-week period. Giving importance to the active participation of the audience, the 17th Istanbul Biennial also aims to create new ways of interacting and relating to people, our environment and the world.
The biennial - which can be visited free of charge until November 20 - spreads to different venues in Istanbul. Taking place in the Fatih, Beyoğlu, Zeytinburnu and Kadıköy districts, the biennial also offers good opportunities for visitors to explore Istanbul. The venues include a medicinal plants garden, two hammams (Turkish baths), a metro tunnel and a 19th century Greek girls’ school, along with non-physical venues such as newspapers, magazines, and a radio program.
Unlike its previous editions, the 17th Istanbul Biennial is not centered around individual works by artists, but also includes various interdisciplinary collectives beyond the borders of the art world; a radio program featuring different voices, a forum that glorifies pluralism through group cooking and eating mantı (a ravioli-like dish served with yogurt), festivals and magazines that draw attention to dialogue and creative action all contribute to this year’s Biennial.
Also part of the biennial program is A Poetry Line, a poetry-oriented program in which fifteen poets selected for a year will write a new poem each month, to eventually become a book. In addition, performative poetry readings will be held at unannounced moments and places.
One of the biennial venues used for the first time is Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden; housing close to 700 medicinal plants and also serving as the biennial’s press venue, Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden features the water garden of Mariah Lookman filled with ferns and lotus flowers, specially prepared for the biennial. At the press conference of the biennial, the Research and Promotion of Turkish Music (TÜMATA) group performed a composition accompanying this water garden. Using the principles of Turkish music therapy, the songs played by the traditional music group were composed in a dialogue that lasted for months with the artist Lookman. The water garden will remain at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden after the biennial as a public space, where visitors can relax, contemplate and find healing.
Before the biennial started, Lookman also had planted nearly 30 seeds of tropical plants brought from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, again accompanied by the live music performance of the TÜMATA group. Mentioned in the Bhela Samhita, one of the oldest texts of Ayurveda, these seeds were planted in the garden in a ceremonial spirit, and now, in their sprouting form, invite visitors to contemplate and relax in the enchanting climate of the tropics.
At Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, one of the oldest baths in Istanbul, the Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui brings together two of his works for the sound installation The Whispering Playground. Working in the field of sound performance and composition, the artist here explores the soundscape of Istanbul's still active ports, as a continuation of his Waters’ Witness series. The Whispering Playground, which is also part of The Whisperers series, is developed based on Atoui's work in his son’s kindergarten by referring to educational practices, sound perceptions and sound games. The noises coming from the objects and containers - connected by cables in the space - invite the audience to listen and draw attention to the effects of urbanization on coastal ecologies.
Another impressive artwork in the biennial is Ursula Biemann’s video Vocal Cognitive Territory, a joint project with Devenir Universidad. Exhibited at the Gazhane Museum, a gas power plant which was converted into a museum in 2021, the video includes information about the rainforests of the Inga community in Colombia. With the view that the protection of the world’s biodiversity and the knowledge that comes with it is a matter of urgency, Biemann has created an indigenous university named Devenir Universidad in 2018 with the Inga people from Colombia in the Andean region of the Amazons. Telling the territorial history and memory of the elders via the prominent figures of the Inga community, the video creates a sonic field of voices.
Presenting many interesting artworks and venues to explore, Istanbul Biennial also offers a good opportunity to explore the dynamic art field of Istanbul via new exhibitions and art programs of galleries and museums within the framework of events parallel to the biennial.
Curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh, the 17th edition of the Istanbul Biennial started on 17th September. Unlike previous iterations, the Istanbul Biennial this year comes together in the context of a process rather than a theme or title, and puts compost - a natural method in which many different organic wastes are brought together and decomposed - as its inspiration. From this point of view, in the 17th edition of Istanbul Biennial artists were invited to share and develop their practices in their most raw form, rather than presenting a finished work. This year, then, the Istanbul Biennial functions as a kind of seedbed, where the audience has the opportunity to witness the evolution of artworks as they are developed.
In a break with tradition, the Biennial started earlier, and will run for longer than its usual eight-week period. Giving importance to the active participation of the audience, the 17th Istanbul Biennial also aims to create new ways of interacting and relating to people, our environment and the world.
The biennial - which can be visited free of charge until November 20 - spreads to different venues in Istanbul. Taking place in the Fatih, Beyoğlu, Zeytinburnu and Kadıköy districts, the biennial also offers good opportunities for visitors to explore Istanbul. The venues include a medicinal plants garden, two hammams (Turkish baths), a metro tunnel and a 19th century Greek girls’ school, along with non-physical venues such as newspapers, magazines, and a radio program.
Unlike its previous editions, the 17th Istanbul Biennial is not centered around individual works by artists, but also includes various interdisciplinary collectives beyond the borders of the art world; a radio program featuring different voices, a forum that glorifies pluralism through group cooking and eating mantı (a ravioli-like dish served with yogurt), festivals and magazines that draw attention to dialogue and creative action all contribute to this year’s Biennial.
Also part of the biennial program is A Poetry Line, a poetry-oriented program in which fifteen poets selected for a year will write a new poem each month, to eventually become a book. In addition, performative poetry readings will be held at unannounced moments and places.
One of the biennial venues used for the first time is Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden; housing close to 700 medicinal plants and also serving as the biennial’s press venue, Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden features the water garden of Mariah Lookman filled with ferns and lotus flowers, specially prepared for the biennial. At the press conference of the biennial, the Research and Promotion of Turkish Music (TÜMATA) group performed a composition accompanying this water garden. Using the principles of Turkish music therapy, the songs played by the traditional music group were composed in a dialogue that lasted for months with the artist Lookman. The water garden will remain at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden after the biennial as a public space, where visitors can relax, contemplate and find healing.
Before the biennial started, Lookman also had planted nearly 30 seeds of tropical plants brought from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, again accompanied by the live music performance of the TÜMATA group. Mentioned in the Bhela Samhita, one of the oldest texts of Ayurveda, these seeds were planted in the garden in a ceremonial spirit, and now, in their sprouting form, invite visitors to contemplate and relax in the enchanting climate of the tropics.
At Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, one of the oldest baths in Istanbul, the Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui brings together two of his works for the sound installation The Whispering Playground. Working in the field of sound performance and composition, the artist here explores the soundscape of Istanbul's still active ports, as a continuation of his Waters’ Witness series. The Whispering Playground, which is also part of The Whisperers series, is developed based on Atoui's work in his son’s kindergarten by referring to educational practices, sound perceptions and sound games. The noises coming from the objects and containers - connected by cables in the space - invite the audience to listen and draw attention to the effects of urbanization on coastal ecologies.
Another impressive artwork in the biennial is Ursula Biemann’s video Vocal Cognitive Territory, a joint project with Devenir Universidad. Exhibited at the Gazhane Museum, a gas power plant which was converted into a museum in 2021, the video includes information about the rainforests of the Inga community in Colombia. With the view that the protection of the world’s biodiversity and the knowledge that comes with it is a matter of urgency, Biemann has created an indigenous university named Devenir Universidad in 2018 with the Inga people from Colombia in the Andean region of the Amazons. Telling the territorial history and memory of the elders via the prominent figures of the Inga community, the video creates a sonic field of voices.
Presenting many interesting artworks and venues to explore, Istanbul Biennial also offers a good opportunity to explore the dynamic art field of Istanbul via new exhibitions and art programs of galleries and museums within the framework of events parallel to the biennial.
Curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh, the 17th edition of the Istanbul Biennial started on 17th September. Unlike previous iterations, the Istanbul Biennial this year comes together in the context of a process rather than a theme or title, and puts compost - a natural method in which many different organic wastes are brought together and decomposed - as its inspiration. From this point of view, in the 17th edition of Istanbul Biennial artists were invited to share and develop their practices in their most raw form, rather than presenting a finished work. This year, then, the Istanbul Biennial functions as a kind of seedbed, where the audience has the opportunity to witness the evolution of artworks as they are developed.
In a break with tradition, the Biennial started earlier, and will run for longer than its usual eight-week period. Giving importance to the active participation of the audience, the 17th Istanbul Biennial also aims to create new ways of interacting and relating to people, our environment and the world.
The biennial - which can be visited free of charge until November 20 - spreads to different venues in Istanbul. Taking place in the Fatih, Beyoğlu, Zeytinburnu and Kadıköy districts, the biennial also offers good opportunities for visitors to explore Istanbul. The venues include a medicinal plants garden, two hammams (Turkish baths), a metro tunnel and a 19th century Greek girls’ school, along with non-physical venues such as newspapers, magazines, and a radio program.
Unlike its previous editions, the 17th Istanbul Biennial is not centered around individual works by artists, but also includes various interdisciplinary collectives beyond the borders of the art world; a radio program featuring different voices, a forum that glorifies pluralism through group cooking and eating mantı (a ravioli-like dish served with yogurt), festivals and magazines that draw attention to dialogue and creative action all contribute to this year’s Biennial.
Also part of the biennial program is A Poetry Line, a poetry-oriented program in which fifteen poets selected for a year will write a new poem each month, to eventually become a book. In addition, performative poetry readings will be held at unannounced moments and places.
One of the biennial venues used for the first time is Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden; housing close to 700 medicinal plants and also serving as the biennial’s press venue, Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden features the water garden of Mariah Lookman filled with ferns and lotus flowers, specially prepared for the biennial. At the press conference of the biennial, the Research and Promotion of Turkish Music (TÜMATA) group performed a composition accompanying this water garden. Using the principles of Turkish music therapy, the songs played by the traditional music group were composed in a dialogue that lasted for months with the artist Lookman. The water garden will remain at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden after the biennial as a public space, where visitors can relax, contemplate and find healing.
Before the biennial started, Lookman also had planted nearly 30 seeds of tropical plants brought from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, again accompanied by the live music performance of the TÜMATA group. Mentioned in the Bhela Samhita, one of the oldest texts of Ayurveda, these seeds were planted in the garden in a ceremonial spirit, and now, in their sprouting form, invite visitors to contemplate and relax in the enchanting climate of the tropics.
At Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, one of the oldest baths in Istanbul, the Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui brings together two of his works for the sound installation The Whispering Playground. Working in the field of sound performance and composition, the artist here explores the soundscape of Istanbul's still active ports, as a continuation of his Waters’ Witness series. The Whispering Playground, which is also part of The Whisperers series, is developed based on Atoui's work in his son’s kindergarten by referring to educational practices, sound perceptions and sound games. The noises coming from the objects and containers - connected by cables in the space - invite the audience to listen and draw attention to the effects of urbanization on coastal ecologies.
Another impressive artwork in the biennial is Ursula Biemann’s video Vocal Cognitive Territory, a joint project with Devenir Universidad. Exhibited at the Gazhane Museum, a gas power plant which was converted into a museum in 2021, the video includes information about the rainforests of the Inga community in Colombia. With the view that the protection of the world’s biodiversity and the knowledge that comes with it is a matter of urgency, Biemann has created an indigenous university named Devenir Universidad in 2018 with the Inga people from Colombia in the Andean region of the Amazons. Telling the territorial history and memory of the elders via the prominent figures of the Inga community, the video creates a sonic field of voices.
Presenting many interesting artworks and venues to explore, Istanbul Biennial also offers a good opportunity to explore the dynamic art field of Istanbul via new exhibitions and art programs of galleries and museums within the framework of events parallel to the biennial.
Curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh, the 17th edition of the Istanbul Biennial started on 17th September. Unlike previous iterations, the Istanbul Biennial this year comes together in the context of a process rather than a theme or title, and puts compost - a natural method in which many different organic wastes are brought together and decomposed - as its inspiration. From this point of view, in the 17th edition of Istanbul Biennial artists were invited to share and develop their practices in their most raw form, rather than presenting a finished work. This year, then, the Istanbul Biennial functions as a kind of seedbed, where the audience has the opportunity to witness the evolution of artworks as they are developed.
In a break with tradition, the Biennial started earlier, and will run for longer than its usual eight-week period. Giving importance to the active participation of the audience, the 17th Istanbul Biennial also aims to create new ways of interacting and relating to people, our environment and the world.
The biennial - which can be visited free of charge until November 20 - spreads to different venues in Istanbul. Taking place in the Fatih, Beyoğlu, Zeytinburnu and Kadıköy districts, the biennial also offers good opportunities for visitors to explore Istanbul. The venues include a medicinal plants garden, two hammams (Turkish baths), a metro tunnel and a 19th century Greek girls’ school, along with non-physical venues such as newspapers, magazines, and a radio program.
Unlike its previous editions, the 17th Istanbul Biennial is not centered around individual works by artists, but also includes various interdisciplinary collectives beyond the borders of the art world; a radio program featuring different voices, a forum that glorifies pluralism through group cooking and eating mantı (a ravioli-like dish served with yogurt), festivals and magazines that draw attention to dialogue and creative action all contribute to this year’s Biennial.
Also part of the biennial program is A Poetry Line, a poetry-oriented program in which fifteen poets selected for a year will write a new poem each month, to eventually become a book. In addition, performative poetry readings will be held at unannounced moments and places.
One of the biennial venues used for the first time is Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden; housing close to 700 medicinal plants and also serving as the biennial’s press venue, Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden features the water garden of Mariah Lookman filled with ferns and lotus flowers, specially prepared for the biennial. At the press conference of the biennial, the Research and Promotion of Turkish Music (TÜMATA) group performed a composition accompanying this water garden. Using the principles of Turkish music therapy, the songs played by the traditional music group were composed in a dialogue that lasted for months with the artist Lookman. The water garden will remain at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden after the biennial as a public space, where visitors can relax, contemplate and find healing.
Before the biennial started, Lookman also had planted nearly 30 seeds of tropical plants brought from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, again accompanied by the live music performance of the TÜMATA group. Mentioned in the Bhela Samhita, one of the oldest texts of Ayurveda, these seeds were planted in the garden in a ceremonial spirit, and now, in their sprouting form, invite visitors to contemplate and relax in the enchanting climate of the tropics.
At Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, one of the oldest baths in Istanbul, the Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui brings together two of his works for the sound installation The Whispering Playground. Working in the field of sound performance and composition, the artist here explores the soundscape of Istanbul's still active ports, as a continuation of his Waters’ Witness series. The Whispering Playground, which is also part of The Whisperers series, is developed based on Atoui's work in his son’s kindergarten by referring to educational practices, sound perceptions and sound games. The noises coming from the objects and containers - connected by cables in the space - invite the audience to listen and draw attention to the effects of urbanization on coastal ecologies.
Another impressive artwork in the biennial is Ursula Biemann’s video Vocal Cognitive Territory, a joint project with Devenir Universidad. Exhibited at the Gazhane Museum, a gas power plant which was converted into a museum in 2021, the video includes information about the rainforests of the Inga community in Colombia. With the view that the protection of the world’s biodiversity and the knowledge that comes with it is a matter of urgency, Biemann has created an indigenous university named Devenir Universidad in 2018 with the Inga people from Colombia in the Andean region of the Amazons. Telling the territorial history and memory of the elders via the prominent figures of the Inga community, the video creates a sonic field of voices.
Presenting many interesting artworks and venues to explore, Istanbul Biennial also offers a good opportunity to explore the dynamic art field of Istanbul via new exhibitions and art programs of galleries and museums within the framework of events parallel to the biennial.
Curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh, the 17th edition of the Istanbul Biennial started on 17th September. Unlike previous iterations, the Istanbul Biennial this year comes together in the context of a process rather than a theme or title, and puts compost - a natural method in which many different organic wastes are brought together and decomposed - as its inspiration. From this point of view, in the 17th edition of Istanbul Biennial artists were invited to share and develop their practices in their most raw form, rather than presenting a finished work. This year, then, the Istanbul Biennial functions as a kind of seedbed, where the audience has the opportunity to witness the evolution of artworks as they are developed.
In a break with tradition, the Biennial started earlier, and will run for longer than its usual eight-week period. Giving importance to the active participation of the audience, the 17th Istanbul Biennial also aims to create new ways of interacting and relating to people, our environment and the world.
The biennial - which can be visited free of charge until November 20 - spreads to different venues in Istanbul. Taking place in the Fatih, Beyoğlu, Zeytinburnu and Kadıköy districts, the biennial also offers good opportunities for visitors to explore Istanbul. The venues include a medicinal plants garden, two hammams (Turkish baths), a metro tunnel and a 19th century Greek girls’ school, along with non-physical venues such as newspapers, magazines, and a radio program.
Unlike its previous editions, the 17th Istanbul Biennial is not centered around individual works by artists, but also includes various interdisciplinary collectives beyond the borders of the art world; a radio program featuring different voices, a forum that glorifies pluralism through group cooking and eating mantı (a ravioli-like dish served with yogurt), festivals and magazines that draw attention to dialogue and creative action all contribute to this year’s Biennial.
Also part of the biennial program is A Poetry Line, a poetry-oriented program in which fifteen poets selected for a year will write a new poem each month, to eventually become a book. In addition, performative poetry readings will be held at unannounced moments and places.
One of the biennial venues used for the first time is Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden; housing close to 700 medicinal plants and also serving as the biennial’s press venue, Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden features the water garden of Mariah Lookman filled with ferns and lotus flowers, specially prepared for the biennial. At the press conference of the biennial, the Research and Promotion of Turkish Music (TÜMATA) group performed a composition accompanying this water garden. Using the principles of Turkish music therapy, the songs played by the traditional music group were composed in a dialogue that lasted for months with the artist Lookman. The water garden will remain at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden after the biennial as a public space, where visitors can relax, contemplate and find healing.
Before the biennial started, Lookman also had planted nearly 30 seeds of tropical plants brought from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, again accompanied by the live music performance of the TÜMATA group. Mentioned in the Bhela Samhita, one of the oldest texts of Ayurveda, these seeds were planted in the garden in a ceremonial spirit, and now, in their sprouting form, invite visitors to contemplate and relax in the enchanting climate of the tropics.
At Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, one of the oldest baths in Istanbul, the Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui brings together two of his works for the sound installation The Whispering Playground. Working in the field of sound performance and composition, the artist here explores the soundscape of Istanbul's still active ports, as a continuation of his Waters’ Witness series. The Whispering Playground, which is also part of The Whisperers series, is developed based on Atoui's work in his son’s kindergarten by referring to educational practices, sound perceptions and sound games. The noises coming from the objects and containers - connected by cables in the space - invite the audience to listen and draw attention to the effects of urbanization on coastal ecologies.
Another impressive artwork in the biennial is Ursula Biemann’s video Vocal Cognitive Territory, a joint project with Devenir Universidad. Exhibited at the Gazhane Museum, a gas power plant which was converted into a museum in 2021, the video includes information about the rainforests of the Inga community in Colombia. With the view that the protection of the world’s biodiversity and the knowledge that comes with it is a matter of urgency, Biemann has created an indigenous university named Devenir Universidad in 2018 with the Inga people from Colombia in the Andean region of the Amazons. Telling the territorial history and memory of the elders via the prominent figures of the Inga community, the video creates a sonic field of voices.
Presenting many interesting artworks and venues to explore, Istanbul Biennial also offers a good opportunity to explore the dynamic art field of Istanbul via new exhibitions and art programs of galleries and museums within the framework of events parallel to the biennial.
Curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh, the 17th edition of the Istanbul Biennial started on 17th September. Unlike previous iterations, the Istanbul Biennial this year comes together in the context of a process rather than a theme or title, and puts compost - a natural method in which many different organic wastes are brought together and decomposed - as its inspiration. From this point of view, in the 17th edition of Istanbul Biennial artists were invited to share and develop their practices in their most raw form, rather than presenting a finished work. This year, then, the Istanbul Biennial functions as a kind of seedbed, where the audience has the opportunity to witness the evolution of artworks as they are developed.
In a break with tradition, the Biennial started earlier, and will run for longer than its usual eight-week period. Giving importance to the active participation of the audience, the 17th Istanbul Biennial also aims to create new ways of interacting and relating to people, our environment and the world.
The biennial - which can be visited free of charge until November 20 - spreads to different venues in Istanbul. Taking place in the Fatih, Beyoğlu, Zeytinburnu and Kadıköy districts, the biennial also offers good opportunities for visitors to explore Istanbul. The venues include a medicinal plants garden, two hammams (Turkish baths), a metro tunnel and a 19th century Greek girls’ school, along with non-physical venues such as newspapers, magazines, and a radio program.
Unlike its previous editions, the 17th Istanbul Biennial is not centered around individual works by artists, but also includes various interdisciplinary collectives beyond the borders of the art world; a radio program featuring different voices, a forum that glorifies pluralism through group cooking and eating mantı (a ravioli-like dish served with yogurt), festivals and magazines that draw attention to dialogue and creative action all contribute to this year’s Biennial.
Also part of the biennial program is A Poetry Line, a poetry-oriented program in which fifteen poets selected for a year will write a new poem each month, to eventually become a book. In addition, performative poetry readings will be held at unannounced moments and places.
One of the biennial venues used for the first time is Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden; housing close to 700 medicinal plants and also serving as the biennial’s press venue, Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden features the water garden of Mariah Lookman filled with ferns and lotus flowers, specially prepared for the biennial. At the press conference of the biennial, the Research and Promotion of Turkish Music (TÜMATA) group performed a composition accompanying this water garden. Using the principles of Turkish music therapy, the songs played by the traditional music group were composed in a dialogue that lasted for months with the artist Lookman. The water garden will remain at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden after the biennial as a public space, where visitors can relax, contemplate and find healing.
Before the biennial started, Lookman also had planted nearly 30 seeds of tropical plants brought from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, again accompanied by the live music performance of the TÜMATA group. Mentioned in the Bhela Samhita, one of the oldest texts of Ayurveda, these seeds were planted in the garden in a ceremonial spirit, and now, in their sprouting form, invite visitors to contemplate and relax in the enchanting climate of the tropics.
At Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, one of the oldest baths in Istanbul, the Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui brings together two of his works for the sound installation The Whispering Playground. Working in the field of sound performance and composition, the artist here explores the soundscape of Istanbul's still active ports, as a continuation of his Waters’ Witness series. The Whispering Playground, which is also part of The Whisperers series, is developed based on Atoui's work in his son’s kindergarten by referring to educational practices, sound perceptions and sound games. The noises coming from the objects and containers - connected by cables in the space - invite the audience to listen and draw attention to the effects of urbanization on coastal ecologies.
Another impressive artwork in the biennial is Ursula Biemann’s video Vocal Cognitive Territory, a joint project with Devenir Universidad. Exhibited at the Gazhane Museum, a gas power plant which was converted into a museum in 2021, the video includes information about the rainforests of the Inga community in Colombia. With the view that the protection of the world’s biodiversity and the knowledge that comes with it is a matter of urgency, Biemann has created an indigenous university named Devenir Universidad in 2018 with the Inga people from Colombia in the Andean region of the Amazons. Telling the territorial history and memory of the elders via the prominent figures of the Inga community, the video creates a sonic field of voices.
Presenting many interesting artworks and venues to explore, Istanbul Biennial also offers a good opportunity to explore the dynamic art field of Istanbul via new exhibitions and art programs of galleries and museums within the framework of events parallel to the biennial.
Curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh, the 17th edition of the Istanbul Biennial started on 17th September. Unlike previous iterations, the Istanbul Biennial this year comes together in the context of a process rather than a theme or title, and puts compost - a natural method in which many different organic wastes are brought together and decomposed - as its inspiration. From this point of view, in the 17th edition of Istanbul Biennial artists were invited to share and develop their practices in their most raw form, rather than presenting a finished work. This year, then, the Istanbul Biennial functions as a kind of seedbed, where the audience has the opportunity to witness the evolution of artworks as they are developed.
In a break with tradition, the Biennial started earlier, and will run for longer than its usual eight-week period. Giving importance to the active participation of the audience, the 17th Istanbul Biennial also aims to create new ways of interacting and relating to people, our environment and the world.
The biennial - which can be visited free of charge until November 20 - spreads to different venues in Istanbul. Taking place in the Fatih, Beyoğlu, Zeytinburnu and Kadıköy districts, the biennial also offers good opportunities for visitors to explore Istanbul. The venues include a medicinal plants garden, two hammams (Turkish baths), a metro tunnel and a 19th century Greek girls’ school, along with non-physical venues such as newspapers, magazines, and a radio program.
Unlike its previous editions, the 17th Istanbul Biennial is not centered around individual works by artists, but also includes various interdisciplinary collectives beyond the borders of the art world; a radio program featuring different voices, a forum that glorifies pluralism through group cooking and eating mantı (a ravioli-like dish served with yogurt), festivals and magazines that draw attention to dialogue and creative action all contribute to this year’s Biennial.
Also part of the biennial program is A Poetry Line, a poetry-oriented program in which fifteen poets selected for a year will write a new poem each month, to eventually become a book. In addition, performative poetry readings will be held at unannounced moments and places.
One of the biennial venues used for the first time is Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden; housing close to 700 medicinal plants and also serving as the biennial’s press venue, Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden features the water garden of Mariah Lookman filled with ferns and lotus flowers, specially prepared for the biennial. At the press conference of the biennial, the Research and Promotion of Turkish Music (TÜMATA) group performed a composition accompanying this water garden. Using the principles of Turkish music therapy, the songs played by the traditional music group were composed in a dialogue that lasted for months with the artist Lookman. The water garden will remain at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden after the biennial as a public space, where visitors can relax, contemplate and find healing.
Before the biennial started, Lookman also had planted nearly 30 seeds of tropical plants brought from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, again accompanied by the live music performance of the TÜMATA group. Mentioned in the Bhela Samhita, one of the oldest texts of Ayurveda, these seeds were planted in the garden in a ceremonial spirit, and now, in their sprouting form, invite visitors to contemplate and relax in the enchanting climate of the tropics.
At Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, one of the oldest baths in Istanbul, the Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui brings together two of his works for the sound installation The Whispering Playground. Working in the field of sound performance and composition, the artist here explores the soundscape of Istanbul's still active ports, as a continuation of his Waters’ Witness series. The Whispering Playground, which is also part of The Whisperers series, is developed based on Atoui's work in his son’s kindergarten by referring to educational practices, sound perceptions and sound games. The noises coming from the objects and containers - connected by cables in the space - invite the audience to listen and draw attention to the effects of urbanization on coastal ecologies.
Another impressive artwork in the biennial is Ursula Biemann’s video Vocal Cognitive Territory, a joint project with Devenir Universidad. Exhibited at the Gazhane Museum, a gas power plant which was converted into a museum in 2021, the video includes information about the rainforests of the Inga community in Colombia. With the view that the protection of the world’s biodiversity and the knowledge that comes with it is a matter of urgency, Biemann has created an indigenous university named Devenir Universidad in 2018 with the Inga people from Colombia in the Andean region of the Amazons. Telling the territorial history and memory of the elders via the prominent figures of the Inga community, the video creates a sonic field of voices.
Presenting many interesting artworks and venues to explore, Istanbul Biennial also offers a good opportunity to explore the dynamic art field of Istanbul via new exhibitions and art programs of galleries and museums within the framework of events parallel to the biennial.
