ART EVENT The 14th Istanbul Biennial Ended with a Record Number of Visitors

The 14th Istanbul Biennial drew a record number of visitors as of September 5, the day the biennial had opened its doors to the public. Due to great interest, the exhibition in Istanbul Modern, one of the 14th Istanbul Biennial venues, was extended until November 26, 2015. During 12 weeks, 545,000 viewers visited the biennial exhibition in 36 venues.

Wael Shawky, Cabaret Crusades, The Secrets of Karbala, 2015, Kocuk Mustafa Pasa Hammam / Photo by Sahir Ugur Eren, Courtesy of IKSV

The 14th Istanbul Biennial 'SALTWATER: A Theory of Thought Forms', was drafted by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev with a number of alliances. Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) with the sponsorship of Koç Holding, Biennial spread over 36 venues on the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus, in museums as well as temporary spaces of habitation on land and on sea such as boats, hotels, former banks, garages, gardens, schools, shops and private homes and presented over 1,500 artworks by over 80 participants.

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev / Photo by Ilgin Erarslan Yanmaz / Courtesy of IKSV

The Istanbul Biennial has gradually reached a wider audience in every edition and this year drew a record number of visitors. 545,000 viewers visited the 14th Istanbul Biennial. 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; 110,000 visitors attended the 12th Istanbul Biennial in 2011; and 337,429 visitors attended the 13th Istanbul Biennial in 2013.

Wael Shawky, Cabaret Crusades, The Secrets of Karbala, 2015, Kocuk Mustafa Pasa Hammam / Photo by Sahir Ugur Eren, Courtesy of IKSV

Cansu Cakar, Kagit Uzerine Suluboya ve Altm, Watercolour-Gold on Paper, Women's Atelier of Illumination / Photo by Sahir Ugur Eren, Courtesy of IKSV

Marwan Rechmaoui, 'Pillar' series, 14 pillars, concrete, metal and mixed media, 2015, Istanbul Modern / Photo by Sahir Ugur Eren, Courtesy of IKSV

Asli Cavusoglu, Red-Red, Armenian and Turkish red on workn-out papers and worn-out handmade notebooks, Istanbul Modern / Photo by Sahir Ugur Eren, Courtesy of IKSV

'SALTWATER: Speech Acts and Forms of Discourse' offered opportunities for public engagement with more than 200 artists, scientists, curators, philosophers, and other cultural activists through over 80 round table discussions, seminars and presentations, conversations with the audience and group readings, in addition to daily guided tours and programmes for children. The 14th Istanbul Biennial events were attended by an audience of over 3,500 people.

Nguyen Huy An, Installation including 'Study of the Fluctuation of a Shadow', 2007-2015 / Photo by Sahir Ugur Eren, Courtesy of IKSV

Fahrelnisa Zeid, Istanbul Modern, 2015 / Photo by Sahir Ugur Eren, Courtesy of IKSV

Deniz Gul, Stone I Manuscripts Don't Burn, 2015, Carved linden tree (2 elements) / Photo by Sahir Ugur Eren, Courtesy of IKSV

Christiane Taylor, Pattern, micro-macro 1001 drawings, 1998-2015 / Photo by Sahir Ugur Eren, Courtesy of IKSV

The film programme was conceived as a series of pairings between feature films and artists' films and videos around four themes: Eco-Fi, Subaquatic, Survival, and Life by the Shore, and was free of charge throughout the biennial at the Istanbul Modern Cinema. Feature films were programmed by Müge Turan and Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, while films and artists’ works were paired by James Richards. This programme was held on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays until 1 November, screening 44 films.

Ania Soliman, A series of Drawings and 'Inside the thing there is nothing', 2015, Pera Museum / Photo by Sahir Ugur Eren, Courtesy of IKSV

The 15th Istanbul Biennial will be held from September 16 - November 12, 2017 under the sponsorship of Koç Holding, which will continue to support the Istanbul Biennial until 2026.