President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan opened the second edition of the Yeditepe Biennial, the first biennial in the world in the field of classical Turkish arts, at Süleymaniye Mosque Imaret (public soup kitchen) Darüzziyafe in Istanbul Friday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Erdoğan highlighted that the Yeditepe Biennial is a unique feast in terms of content and scope. Noting that even the places where the biennial will be held are enough to show its richness, Erdoğan added that it is a great cultural and civilizational event, hosting works of art from 36 different countries.

"Embracing the good, beautiful and useful, and improving them is one of the most important legacies left to us from our ancestors. We are a nation that has left its mark on history with its inclusive and developing manner in the arts. We should produce more and reach the heart of the people. We must continue to increase such activities like the Yeditepe Biennial until we deliver our cultural and artistic accumulation to all members of our nation," he continued.

Emphasizing that the Turkish nation should use their means against the insidious attack that aims to normalize heresy under the name of art, Erdoğan said, "The source of the understanding of goodness in our civilization and art undoubtedly comes from the Quran. Just as the sun warms the entire universe, the Quran and Prophet Muhammad are the basic sources that guide us in every aspect of our lives, including the arts."

Expressing his thanks to those who contributed to the development of artistic events in the country such as the Yeditepe Biennial, Erdoğan added, "We will continue to do our part sincerely to protect our own art."

The biennial, the first of which was held in 2018, will be held for two months between Jan. 7 and March 7 in Istanbul. The artworks will be exhibited in four different venues, including the Süleymaniye Mosque Imaret Darüzziyafe, Nuruosmaniye Mosque Cellar, Yedikule Fortress and Fatih Glass Cube Gallery. The theme of this year’s biennial is determined as "frame" and is curated by Berkan Karpat, the president of the Artists Association of the Haus der Kunst Museum in Munich.

The biennial is organized in cooperation with the Fatih Municipality and Classical Turkish Arts Foundation under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey.