15th Istanbul Biennial tagged as 'exhibition worth traveling for in 2017'

Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), the 15th Istanbul Biennial has been listed among Newsweek magazine's "Five Exhibitions Worth Travelling for in 2017."

Taking place Sept. 16-Nov. 12, the 15th edition of the Istanbul Biennial will be highlighted with the collaboration of Scandinavian artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset. Apart from the Istanbul Biennial, the list featured N.S. Harsha's retrospective at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, "Documenta 14" in Athens, Damien Hirst's exhibition, which will open at Punta della Dogana and Palazzo Grassi in Venice, and Camille Henrot's exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, which opens in October.

Co-curators Elmgreen and Dragset say that the title of the 15th Istanbul Biennial is "İyi Bir Komşu" (A Good Neighbor).

During a press conference on Dec. 7, 2016, Elmgreen and Dragset, spoke about some of the themes that can be associated with the title and said that the biennial's format will bear traces of being curated by artists. They added: "A Good Neighbor will deal with multiple notions of home and neighborhoods, exploring how living modes in our private spheres have changed throughout the past decades. Home is approached as an indicator of diverse identities and a vehicle for self-expression and neighborhood as a micro-universe exemplifying some of the challenges we face in terms of co-existence today."

This year's biennial take places with the collaboration of various cultural institutions in several countries, including the U.K., Brazil, Germany and the U.S., and it will monitor how the concepts of home and neighborhood have changed over the years around the world.

The press preview for the 15th Istanbul Biennial takes place Sept. 13-15. Apart from exhibitions located at various venues around Istanbul, one of the most historic cities in the world, the biennial will also host art performances, film screenings and panel sessions.