200% more visitors Istanbul Biennial

The 13th Istanbul Biennial, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) ended on Sunday, 20 October. The 13th Istanbul Biennial drew a record number of visitors. During five weeks, 337,429 viewers visited the biennial exhibitions in five venues.

The 13th Istanbul Biennial titled “Mom, am I barbarian?” and curated by Fulya Erdemci, was realised as a free admission biennial for the first time, overlapping with the biennial’s vision to create a public space, reach out to a wider audience, and be accessible to everyone. The biennial exhibitions took place at Antrepo no.3, Galata Greek Primary School, ARTER, SALT Beyoğlu and 5533 in İMÇ 5th Block.

The 13th Istanbul Biennial hosted 88 artists and artist collectives, featuring the works of 11 artists and 2 artistic/civil collectives from Turkey, as well as 3 artistic collaborations formed of both Turkish and foreign artists. The 13th Istanbul Biennial was one of the biennials exhibited with the highest rate of
participation from Turkey up to date.

The Istanbul Biennial has gradually reached a wider audience in every edition: 51,000 visitors attended the 9th Istanbul Biennial in 2005; 91,000 visitors attended the 10th Istanbul Biennial in 2007; 101,000 visitors attended the 11th Istanbul Biennial in 2009; and 110,000 visitors attended the 12th Istanbul Biennial in 2011.

The Istanbul Biennial was supported among others by the Mondriaan Fund, Netherlands Consulate General in Istanbul and DutchCulture.

The biennial’s youth education programme reached over 3,000 students

The youth education programme of the 13th Istanbul Biennial organised with the collaboration of IKSV and PACE Children’s Arts Center with the support of Koç Holding, was received with a great interest by the young audiences. Approximately 3,000 students between ages 8 and 18 participated in the education programme held at Antrepo no.3 during the biennial.

13th Istanbul Biennial Book to be published in December 2013

The Biennial Book, featuring a full visual documentation of the exhibition and essays and contributions by renowned authors will be available in the IKSV Design Store and bookstores as of December. The electronic version of the Biennial Guide is also available on the biennial website, 13b.iksv.org/en. The 13th Istanbul Biennial Guide and Book are published by IKSV and Yapı Kredi Publications with the contribution of Vehbi Koç Foundation.