September 16–November 12, 2017
The 15th Istanbul Biennial, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and sponsored by Koç Holding will take place between September 16 and November 12, 2017. The 15th edition of the biennial will be curated by the artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset.
Elmgreen & Dragset stated, “We are honored to be appointed curators of the 15th Istanbul Biennial, having previously taken part as artists in three editions of the biennial. In light of the current global geopolitical situation, in which we’re experiencing a new rise of nationalism, it will be important for us to curate a biennial based on collaborative efforts and processes. Collaboration is something that feels natural to us, since we have been working together as an artist duo for more than 20 years. A biennial can be a platform for dialogue, and a format in which diverse opinions, perspectives, and communities can coexist.”
Elmgreen & Dragset (Michael Elmgreen, dr.h.c. and Ingar Dragset, dr.h.c.) are an artist duo who have worked together since 1995. Their artistic practice spans many genres, including installation, sculpture, performance, and theater. Their work has been included in the Istanbul (2013, 2011, 2001), Liverpool (2012), Singapore (2011), Moscow (2011, 2007), Venice (2009, 2003), Gwangju (2006, 2002), São Paulo (2002), and Berlin (1998) biennials. The artists were shortlisted for the Hugo Boss Prize, Guggenheim Museum, New York in 2000 and won the Preis der Nationalgalerie, Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin in 2002. In 2012, Elmgreen & Dragset were selected for London’s Fourth Plinth Commission in Trafalgar Square. They were awarded honorary doctorates at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in 2015.
Previous curatorial projects include The Collectors at the Danish and Nordic Pavilions at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009, marking the first-ever merging of two national pavilions to present a single exhibition, which received a Special Mention entitled “Curating Worlds.” In 2013, the duo curated A Space Called Public, a wide-ranging temporary public art project throughout the city of Munich. The same year, with their exhibition Tomorrow at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the artists designed a setting in which they staged paintings, furniture, and artifacts from the museum’s permanent collection. Earlier curatorial projects include Not a Drop But the Fall, together with Susanne Pfeffer, Künstlerhaus Bremen, Germany (2005) and Update, a performance-based festival that was part of Copenhagen’s European Capitals of Culture program (1996). The artists are currently in the process of curating the exhibition The Others, opening at König Galerie in Berlin in September 2016.
Elmgreen & Dragset’s recent solo exhibitions include Van Gogh’s Ear (Public Art Fund, New York, 2016); The Well Fair (Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2016); and Aéroport Mille Plateaux (PLATEAU, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, 2015). Additionally, Elmgreen & Dragset have held numerous solo exhibitions in art institutions worldwide, including the National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen (2014); Astrup Fearnley Museet, Oslo (2014); Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (2011); ZKM Museum of Modern Art, Karlsruhe, Germany (2010); Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (2009); The Power Plant, Toronto (2006); Serpentine Gallery, London (2006); Tate Modern, London (2004); and Kunsthalle Zürich (2001).
The Istanbul Biennial advisory board members include Adriano Pedrosa, Başak Şenova, İnci Eviner, Iwona Blazwick, and Ute Meta Bauer.
The 15th Istanbul Biennial is organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and sponsored by Koç Holding and other supporters, international funders, and funding bodies to be announced.
The conceptual framework of the 15th Istanbul Biennial will be announced at a press meeting to be held in fall 2016. The media preview of the biennial will be on September 13, and the professional preview on September 14 and 15, 2017.
For further information: bienal.iksv.org
For hi-res images of the Istanbul Biennial: www.iksvphoto.com
For media enqueries: media [at] iksv.org
Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV)
Nejat Eczacıbaşı Binası
Sadi Konuralp Caddesi No: 5
Şişhane 34433 İstanbul
Turkey
T +90 212 334 07 00 / F +90 212 334 07 19 / ist.biennial [at] iksv.org
