Online events like exhibitions have become the norm worldwide as humanity fights the coronavirus pandemic, often through self-isolation. The Istanbul Biennial, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), is joining that trend with the weekly online release of short films for viewers isolated at home.
As part of the program, which will be held in cooperation with artists who have joined the biennial, two films will be made available for access for seven days at bienal.iksv.org every Friday.
İKSV released a statement, saying: "In its 33-year adventure, the Istanbul Biennial has always taken art with it against all kinds of fluctuations and uncertainties and followed the trail of new ideas, thrills and curiosities. This period, in which we have reset the boundaries of our lives around the world, also provides a space to review the relationship we have built with our environment and ourselves. We hope that art will gain more widespread access during this period, remembering that the world of imagination is so rich that it cannot be determined by physical boundaries. In collaboration with artists who have participated in the Istanbul biennials before, we open two artist films to digital access every Friday for seven days."
The selection consists of films by Halil Altındere, Francis Alys, Volkan Aslan, Ozan Atalan, Alper Aydın, Rossella Biscotti, Kristina Buch, Vajiko Chachkhiani, Jonathas de Andrade, Elmas Deniz, Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe, Jorge Galindo and Santiago Sierra, Theaster Gates, Suzanne Husky, Pierre Huyghe, Emre Hüner, Rashid Johnson, Armin Linke, Maider Lopez, Basim Magdy, Melvin Moti, Georgie Nettell, Erkan Özgen, Zeyno Pekünlü, Cheng Ran, Mika Rottenberg, Pelin Tan and Anton Vidokle, Kaari Upson, Adrian Villar Rojas and Phillip Zach.
As part of the selection, Egyptian scriptwriter and director Basim Magdy’s "13 Essential Rules for Understanding the World" (2011) and Volkan Aslan’s video installation "Evim Evim Güzel Evim" (Home Sweet Home) (2017) will be offered this week.