The Tamesis
This edition of the Istanbul Biennale, an ambitious three-part exhibition that recently completed its opening exhibition, will not host the remainder of the program due to the resignation of Biennale curator Christine Tohmé.
The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Art (IKSV), the private foundation that manages the event, said in a statement that the exhibition “will end at the first stop after Tomei decided to resign due to personal reasons.”
Entitled “Three-Legged Cat,” the biennale is envisioned by Tomei as “a three-legged structure that unfolds over three years,” with an academic event scheduled for 2026 and a second exhibition in 2027. The first exhibition was held in eight venues in Istanbul from September 20 to November 23 and welcomed more than 600,000 visitors.
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The opening of the 18th Istanbul Biennale, one of the world’s leading regular exhibitions of contemporary art, has been delayed by a year due to a controversial reshuffle of curatorial leadership. In February 2023, the Biennale Advisory Board unanimously selected Defne Ayas, currently director of the Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven, to curate the exhibition. IKSV ultimately selected Iwona Blazwick.
Media reports widely linked the decision to Ayasi’s Turkish pavilion at the 2015 Venice Biennale, which was dedicated to Armenian conceptual artist Sarkis. The catalog that accompanies the pavilion refers to the Armenian genocide—a topic long debated by the Turkish government, which believes that the mass murder of Armenians during World War I was the result of wartime conditions rather than a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
Following outcry from the arts community, Blazwick and three other committee members resigned. IKSV’s long-time director Bige Örer also left and was later replaced by Kevser Güler. During this tumultuous period, the foundation decided to overhaul its curator selection process.
“We are witnessing unwelcome divisions in the art world, which have adversely affected artists who have agreed or could agree to participate in the Biennale as well as collaborations and partnerships,” the foundation said when announcing the exhibition’s postponement. “Unfortunately, this situation prevents the Istanbul Biennale from taking place as planned.”
IKSV has announced that preliminary planning for the 19th Istanbul Biennale in 2027 will begin soon. The Foundation will announce the curators of the 19th exhibition in 2026.
