13th Istanbul Biennial: “Mom, am I barbarian?
Date uploaded: September 11, 2013
13th Istanbul Biennial
14th September - 20th October 2013
The 13th Istanbul Biennial, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts and sponsored by Koç Holding, starts on Saturday, 14th September and will be open until Sunday, 20th October. Admission to the biennial exhibitions is free, overlapping with the biennial’s vision to create a public space, reach out to a wider audience, and be accessible to everyone.
Curated by Fulya Erdemci, the 13th Istanbul Biennial, “Mom, am I barbarian?”, which borrows its title from poet Lale Müldür’s book, will explore the notion of public space as a political forum and focus on the relation of art and literature (poetry). With the term “barbarian”, it also signifies the novel languages we need to learn or yet to invent to understand the “other” and to conceive the world to come. The exhibition aspires to open up a space to rethink the concept of ‘publicness’ through art and elicit imagination and innovative thought to contribute to social engagement and discussion.
The 13th Istanbul Biennial features 88 artists and artist groups whose work problematise the dichotomies between barbarity and civilisation, nature and culture, the singular and the universal, the subject and the social, and randomness and order, and layer these relations visually to unravel linguistic and intellectual processes together with emotional experiences. Featuring 15 artists, artist collectives, civil society groups and initiatives from Turkey, the 13th Istanbul Biennial is the biennial exhibit with the highest rate of participation from Turkey to date. The 13th Istanbul Biennial will announce its list of participating artists at the exhibition opening to emphasise the integrity of the exhibition, as opposed to highlighting artists individually.
Visiting Hours
The 13th Istanbul Biennial exhibitions can be visited free of charge at Antrepo no.3 in Tophane, Galata Greek Primary School in Karaköy, ARTER and SALT Beyoğlu on İstiklal Street from 10.00 to 19.00 every day except Monday. 5533 in İMÇ 5th Block will be open every day except Sundays. The exhibition venues will be open on Monday 16th September, special to the opening week.
Guided Tours
Guided tours will be held in Antrepo no.3, Galata Greek Primary School and ARTER everyday at 11.00, 13.30, 15.00 and 16.30 with the support of Koç Holding. Tickets for guided tours can be purchased at the box offices located at the venue entrances. For reservation and more information about guided tours, please contact the team at [email protected]
