The participating artists have been revealed for the upcoming Mardin Biennial, set to take place from 15 May to 21 June.
The biennial will be curated by Çelenk Bafra, who currently serves as the artistic director of Istanbul Modern and will gather 41 artists and collectives from 20 countries across the globe, including six artists from Mardin and its surrounding areas.
Entitled SKYground, the seventh edition of the Mardin Biennial will encourage visitors to consider the links between the showcased artwork and the rich history of Mardin. The bird serves as a guiding emblem of the event, moving between earth and sky and mapping a trajectory between reality and the imagination.
This year, the biennial will unfold across several locations in Mardin in southeast Türkiye, expanding for the first time into the wider region around the city with new host venues including Dara Ancient City, Deyrulzafaran Monastery, Ates¸ Beyler Hamami, Kervansaray, Marangozlar Kahvesi (Carpenter’s Café), and Sakip Sabanci Mardin City Museum.
Participating artists, including Khalil Rabah, Slavs and Tatars, Michael Rakowitz, Hiwa K, Ahmet Dogu Ipek and Gözde Ilkin, among others, will unveil work in a variety of media. Spanning painting, sculpture, photography, video, performance, sound art and site-specific installations, with several artists presenting pieces commissioned for the biennial, the artworks will respond and be adapted to Mardin’s historical context and the chosen theme.
A curatorial collaboration with House of Taswir for the Gaza Biennale Initiative will also take place, as well as with Stadtkuratorin Hamburg / City Curator Hamburg for a programme based on From the Cosmos to the Commons.
Full artist list:
Hamra Abbas
Yasmeen Al Daya
Carlos Aires
Rozelin Akgün
Hüseyin Aksoy
Fares Ayash
Vahap Avsar
Alper Aydin
Mehtap Baydu
Bi Acayip Hâne (Senem Râbia Sekban & Fatma Alara Akgün)
Mehmet Ali Boran
Hilal Can
Cansu Çakar
Isaac Chong Wai
Canan Dagdelen
Özgür Demirci
Bawer Doganay
Jakup Ferri
Alfredo Jaar
Ekin Kano
Šejla Kameric´
Ali Kaaf
Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos
Pelin Kirca
Kite (Dr Suzanne Kite)
Hiwa K
Gözde Ilkin
Ahmet Dogu Ipek
Basim Magdy
Maro Michalakakos
Malgorzata Mirga-Tas
Zahit Mungan
Erkan Özgen
Khalil Rabah
Michael Rakowitz
Camila Rocha
Selçuk Artut
Slavs and Tatars
Xul Solar
Erinç Seymen
Irem Tok
