Iwona Blazwick announced as curator of 18th Istanbul Biennial

The UK curator Iwona Blazwick is in demand; the previous director of the Whitechapel Gallery in London has been appointed the curator of the 18th Istanbul Biennial which opens subsequent yr (14 September-17 November 2024). The theme and artist listing for the biennial can be introduced sooner or later.

Blazwick is the previous director of the Whitechapel Gallery in London and now an worker of the Saudi Arabian authorities, serving to construct a group for the brand new modern artwork museum within the northwestern area of AlUla (her job title is Curatorial Lead, Modern Artwork Museum, AlUla).

Throughout her time on the Whitechapel Gallery, she dedicated to exhibiting artwork by ladies, launching exhibitions devoted to Nan Goldin, Alice Neel, Cristina Iglesias and Eileen Agar. Blazwick was previously director of exhibition and shows at Tate Trendy in London. Blazwick didn’t reply to a request for remark on the time of writing relating to her plans for the biennial.

The Istanbul Basis for Tradition and Arts (İKSV), the non-profit umbrella organisation behind the town’s movie, theatre, music and jazz festivals in addition to the biennial, says in an announcement: “The [Istanbul] biennial works on an exhibition mannequin which allows a direct dialogue between artists from numerous cultures and the viewers. Along with showcasing site-specific work, the invention of other and historic venues by means of modern artwork has been one other important element of the Istanbul Biennial.” In 2007, the Turkish conglomerate Koç Holding grew to become the principle sponsor of the Istanbul Biennial.

The seventeenth Istanbul Biennial held final yr delivered a various vary of site-specific reveals dotted all through Istanbul’s distinctive neighbourhoods; the post-Covid occasion was organised by three curators: Ute Meta Bauer, Amar Kanwar and David Teh.

Turkey in the meantime has been criticised for its file on human rights. Scores of artists, journalists and musicians have been thrown in jail in the course of the 20-year rule of Turkey’s chief, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who was re-elected as President in Could. Because the failed 2016 navy coup, the variety of cultural figures who’ve been investigated by the authorities has risen dramatically.