The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) has announced the curators for the next Istanbul Biennial, sponsored by Koç Holding and scheduled to take place from 18 September to 14 November 2027.
Beijing-based curatorial and research team Liu Ding and Carol Yinghua Lu, who have worked collaboratively since 2007, have been selected as curators for the 19th Istanbul Biennial. The duo’s curatorial practice has focused on the role of social realism in forging the contemporary art scene in China since 2011.
Together, they have led the artistic direction of the 8th Yokohama Triennale in 2024, as well as curating a number of exhibitions in China and abroad, including Trans-Southeast Asia Triennial: Sounds as Silence: The Academic Value of Life in 2021, the Anren Biennale: Crossroads in 2017 and Little Movements: Self-practice in Contemporary Art I\II\III, which was exhibited in 2011 in OCAT Shenzhen, China, in 2013 in MUSEION, Bolzano, Italy and in 2015 in ACC, Gwangju, Korea.
Liu Ding is an artist and curator who has participated in international art events such as the Busan Biennale in 2025, the Yinchuan Biennale in 2028 and the Istanbul Biennial in 2025, while also showcasing work in art institutions worldwide, including at the M+ Museum, the Gwangju Museum of Art and Castello di Rivoli, among others. Carol Yinghua Lu is an art historian and curator who is currently the director of Beijing Inside-Out Art Museum. Previously, she has held the role of artistic director and senior curator of OCAT in Shenzhen from 2012 to 2015 and was guest curator at Museion I Bolzano in 2013, in addition to contributing to numerous arts and culture publications and participating as a jury member for many awards, including the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Biennale in 2011.
Curators are put forward for selection by the Istanbul Biennial Advisory Board, which for this edition comprises Ahu Antmen, Lydia Gatundu Galavu, Gözde İlkin, Renan Laru-an and Sally Tallant.
