18th Istanbul Biennial announces artists for first leg
ISTANBUL
The 18th Istanbul Biennial has announced the list of artists who will participate in the first leg of its three-year program, set to run from Sept. 20 to Nov. 23, 2025, across eight venues in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu-Karaköy area.
Titled “The Three-Legged Cat” and curated by Christine Tohmé, the biennial will present works by 47 artists from over 30 countries in exhibitions and a public program of performances, film screenings and DJ sets. All events in the first leg will be open to the public free of charge.
Artists taking part in the first stage include Haig Aivazian, Abdullah Al Saadi, Ana Alenso, Willy Aractingi, Karimah Ashadu, Mona Benyamin, Chen Ching-Yuan, Ian Davis, Nolan Oswald Dennis, İpek Duben, Celina Eceiza, Ali Eyal, Eva Fabregas, Simone Fattal, Lou Fauroux, Pelagie Gbaguidi, Lungiswa Gqunta, Rafik Greiss, Ola Hassanain, Doruntina Kastrati, Jasleen Kaur, Şafak Şule Kemancı, Kongkee, Seta Manoukian, Mona Marzouk, Merve Mepa, Valentin Noujaim, Claudia Pages Rabal, Pilar Quinteros, Khalil Rabah, Jagdeep Raina, Marwan Rechmaoui, Naomi Rincon-Gallardo, Riar Rizaldi, Lara Saab, Sara Sadik, Stephanie Saade, Sohail Salem, Elif Saydam, Selma Selman, Natasha Tontey, Sevil Tunaboylu, Vaskos, Ana Vaz, Dilek Winchester, Akram Zaatari and Ayman Zedani.
The event will unfold in three distinct legs between 2025 and 2027, with each phase building on the themes, research and collaborations of the previous one.
The first leg, from Sept. 20 to Nov. 23, 2025, will focus on themes of self-preservation and futurity. All eight venues, located within walking distance of one another along the Beyoğlu-Karaköy axis, will allow visitors to experience the biennial entirely on foot. The opening week will feature a rich public program including live performances, a film series and DJ sets.
Artists participating in the first leg were selected after an extensive research process involving studio visits, meetings, and a review of submissions received during an open call held between Oct. 31 and Dec. 15, 2024.
Following the first leg in 2025, the biennial will continue in 2026 with the creation of an academy and collaborations with local initiatives for a series of public programs. The third and final leg in 2027 will focus on rest and reflection, bringing together the outcomes of the earlier phases through exhibitions and workshops.
