The Three-Legged Cat
September 20–November 23, 2025
First leg: September 20–November 23, 2025
Media preview: September 16–19
Professional preview: September 18–19
Titled The Three-Legged Cat and curated by Christine Tohmé, the 18th Istanbul Biennial will unfold over three years, from 2025 to 2027. The biennial's first leg, taking place from September 20 to November 23, 2025 in the form of exhibitions and a public program of performances and screenings, will focus on themes of self-preservation and futurity.
The work of 47 artists from around the world will be presented to audiences in eight different venues all located within walking distance of one another along the Beyoğlu-Karaköy axis of Istanbul. The opening week will feature a public program including live performances, a series of film screenings, and a lineup of DJ sets.
The artists were invited to participate following an extensive research process involving studio visits, meetings, and a review of submissions received through an open call held between October 31 and December 15, 2024.
Participating artists in the first leg of the biennial
Haig Aivazian (b. 1980) Born and lives in Beirut. Abdullah Al Saadi (b. 1967) Born and lives in Khor Fakkan. Ana Alenso (b. 1982) Born in Caracas, lives in Berlin. Willy Aractingi (b. 1930, d. 2003) Born in New York, lived between Paris and Beirut, passed away in Barcelona. Karimah Ashadu (b. 1985) Born in London, lives between Hamburg and Lagos. Mona Benyamin (b. 1997) Born in Haifa, lives between Haifa and New York. Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984) Born in Tainan, lives in Taipei. Ian Davis (b. 1972) Born in Indianapolis, lives in Los Angeles. Nolan Oswald Dennis (b. 1988) Born in Lusaka, lives in Johannesburg. İpek Duben (b. 1941) Born and lives in Istanbul. Celina Eceiza (b. 1988) Born in Tandil, lives in Buenos Aires. Ali Eyal (b. 1994) Born in Baghdad, lives in Los Angeles. Eva Fàbregas (b. 1988) Born and lives in Barcelona. Simone Fattal (b. 1942) Born in Damascus, lives in Paris. Lou Fauroux (b. 1998) Born in Mulhouse, lives in Seine-Saint-Denis. Pélagie Gbaguidi (b. 1965) Born in Dakar, lives in Brussels. Lungiswa Gqunta (b. 1990) Born in Gqeberha, lives in Cape Town. Rafik Greiss (b. 1997) Born in Cairo, lives in Paris. Ola Hassanain (b. 1985) Born in Khartoum, lives in Utrecht. Doruntina Kastrati (b. 1991) Born in Prizren, lives in Pristina. Jasleen Kaur (b. 1986) Born in Glasgow, lives in London. Şafak Şule Kemancı (b. 1975) Born and lives in Istanbul. Kongkee (b. 1977) Born in Sarawak, lives between Hong Kong and London. Seta Manoukian (b. 1945) Born in Beirut, lives in Los Angeles. Mona Marzouk (b. 1968) Born in Alexandria, lives in Helsinki. Merve Mepa (b. 1985) Born in Kocaeli, lives in Istanbul. Valentin Noujaïm (b. 1991) Born in Angers, lives between Paris and Athens. Claudia Pagès Rabal (b. 1990) Born and lives in Barcelona. Pilar Quinteros (b. 1988) Born in Santiago, lives in Basel. Khalil Rabah (b. 1961) Born in Jerusalem, lives in Ramallah. Jagdeep Raina (b. 1991) Born in Guelph, lives in New York. Marwan Rechmaoui (b. 1964) Born and lives in Beirut. Naomi Rincón-Gallardo (b. 1979) Born in North Carolina, lives between Oaxaca and Mexico City. Riar Rizaldi (b. 1990) Born in Bandung, lives in Yogyakarta. Lara Saab (b. 1991) Born in Montreal, lives in Beirut. Sara Sadik (b. 1994) Born in Bordeaux, lives in Marseille. Stéphanie Saadé (b. 1983) Born in Beirut, lives between Beirut and Paris. Sohail Salem (b. 1974) Born and lives in Gaza. Elif Saydam (b. 1985) Born in Calgary, lives between Berlin and Izmir. Selma Selman (b. 1991) Born in Bihać, lives between Amsterdam, New York, and Bihać. Natasha Tontey (b. 1989) Born in Minahasa, lives between Yogyakarta and Jakarta. Sevil Tunaboylu (b. 1982) Born and lives in Istanbul. VASKOS (f. 2014) Vassilis Noulas was born in 1975 in New York and Kostas Tzimoulis was born in 1974 in Thessaloniki. VASKOS was founded in 2014 in New York and currently continues to work in Athens. Ana Vaz (b. 1986) Born in Brasília, lives in Paris. Dilek Winchester (b. 1974) Born and lives in Istanbul. Akram Zaatari (b. 1966) Born in Saida, lives in Beirut. Ayman Zedani (b. 1984) Born in Abha, lives between Riyadh and Sharjah.
The current and expanding list of participants in the public program includes to date: Lawrence Abu Hamdan (b. 1985) Born in Amman, lives between Dubai and Beirut. Samar Al Summary (b. 1988) Born in Jeddah, lives in Los Angeles. Alex Baczyński-Jenkins (b.1987) Born in London, lives in Berlin. Krzysztof Bagiński (b. 1989) Born in Trzebiatów, lives in Berlin. Ronald Berger (b. 1990) Born in Alajuela, lives in Berlin. Ewa Dziarnowska (b. 1991) Born in Lubin, lives in Berlin. Ahmad Ghossein (b. 1981) Born in Nabatieh, lives in Beirut. Maxime Hourani (b. 1982) Born and lives in Beirut. Meho Huskić (b. 1994) Born and lives in Bihać. Rafal Pierzynski (b. 1991) Born in Bełchatów, lives in Zürich. Suneil Sanzgiri (b. 1989) Born in Dallas, lives in New York. Muhamed Selman (b. 1982) Born and lives in Bihać. Selma Selman (b. 1991) Born in Bihać, lives between Amsterdam, New York, and Bihać. Sigrid Stigsdatter Mathiassen (b. 1990) Born in Ringkøbing-Skjern, lives between Copenhagen and Amsterdam.
The opening party of the Biennial will host DJ performances by glvre, jtamul, LOKA, and Urok Shirhan.
About the 18th Istanbul Biennial
Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and curated by Christine Tohmé, the 18th Istanbul Biennial is held free of charge with the support of 2007–2036 Biennial Sponsor Koç Holding. Numerous institutions, organizations, and international funders also support the biennial.
Titled The Three-Legged Cat, the 18th Istanbul Biennial will unfold over three years, from 2025 to 2027. The first leg of the 18th Istanbul Biennial will take place from September 20 to November 23, 2025. The second leg of the biennial in 2026 will be dedicated to creating an academy and collaborating with local initiatives on a series of public programs. In 2027, the biennial will lean on its third leg to rest, bringing together what has been encountered along the way through a final round of exhibitions and workshops.
The 18th Istanbul Biennial’s first leg unfolds across a constellation of eight venues throughout the Beyoğlu district, inviting visitors to experience it entirely on foot. Further details about biennial venues can be found at bienal.iksv.org/en/18th-istanbul-biennial/venues.
For more information, you can visit the website. High-resolution images are available here.
Media and professional accreditations for the preview days are open until September 5, 2025 at: bienal.iksv.org/en/press/accreditation
For international media enquiries: media@iksv.org
