"What Keeps the Istanbul Biennial Alive?
By: Paal Andreas Bøe
ISTANBUL.- The question of the possibilities of art as a global political force becomes crucial in this multifaceted biennial which, interestingly enough, does not emphasize the city's identity as an "East-West - Meeting Point" in its own marketing.
Many of today's (increasing number of) bienniales rely on the idea of a strong connection between a certain curatorial profile and a specific, local and/ or historical foundation. Since they can be expected to be agenda-setting and hyper-contemporaneous art-happenings, they are also considered to be a very useful tool by cities and regions aspiring for global visibility. This is something which bienniales in their own turn have been able profit from, while marketing themselves as attractions of festival tourism and "cultural shopping". Account taken of all this, it should also be worth noticing that the question of the possibilities of the biennial as a political arena now is becoming increasingly significant. This is most definitely the case for the 11th Istanbul Biennial which opened in September, and which will stay open until the 8th of November. This bienniale has almost without exception utilized the city as a central part of its profile. Disregarding the 1st and the 9th version, conceptual use of the historical city space has been a defining trait, accompanied by the slogan "Contemporary Art in Traditional Spaces". In 2005 "Istanbul" was both the name and the theme of the biennial. After this, Koç Holding, Turkey's largest finance and industry conglomerate became its main sponsor, something which they have agreed to remain until 2017, and they are also sponsor of Istanbul as European Capital of Culture in 2010."
More: Artdaily.org
