The 6th Mardin Biennial, which commenced on May 10, has embarked on a journey titled ‘Further Away’. This theme, carefully chosen by the curator, holds a significant place in the narrative of this year’s biennial.
Speaking during the opening curator of this year’s biennial Ali Akay said: “Mardin’s wind and weather are the first elements that come to my mind when I think about the conceptual framework of the biennial. In addition, its architecture, its texture, its stairs, and its labyrinthine structure come to mind when thinking about this city. But all difficulties disappear when we look at the Mardin Plain among us. The existence of this plain takes us towards the distance, towards the horizon. “While it pulls us towards the longest point of Mesopotamia, it can also carry us towards the future,” he said.
“Geography possesses a vitality that surpasses that of humans and living beings. Consequently, this vitality can also be viewed from a historical and geographical perspective,” said Akay.
“One of the crucial aspects of this biennial is that the subjectivity is not limited to human experience, but rather the subjectivity of the wind and nature. It is because we all understand that Mardin, with its unique geography, will continue to endure as long as it has throughout its extensive history. It exists in an era where the ecosystem is collapsing, the glaciers are melting, and the waters are rising, much like an Atlantis, where coastal areas may one day vanish from the map.”
For the past 14 years, the biennial has been a meeting ground for artists, art enthusiasts, and professionals, all united by their love for contemporary art. The event is hosted by the Mardin Cinema Association.
Döne Otyam and Hakan Irmak are the biennial’s directors. This year, it is held under the main sponsorship of Hitay Foundation and will remain open until June 10.
After Akay’s speech, Murat and Esma Ertel’s performance took place.
The 6th Mardin Biennial, which asks questions about how we can go beyond all the artistic, political and sociological problems we are experiencing today under the title “Farther Away”, focuses on these problems and searches for answers as a proposal to observe, think and create artistically.
This year, the biennial takes place in various venues such as the German Headquarters, Design Foundation Gallery, Develi Han, Sakıp Sabancı Mardin City Museum, Design Foundation Meydan Gallery, Dabakoğlu House, Caravanserai and Carpenters’ Coffeehouse as venues. The Biennial brings new approaches and interpretations to the crucial questions and problems of today’s world through the language of contemporary art.
This year, artists from all over the world, including Turkey, presented their works at the biennale, such as, Ahmet Öğüt, Ali Kazma, Allan Sekula, Aslı Çavuşoğlu, Ayşe Erkmen, Bouchra Khalili, Brice Dellsperger, Bruno Serralongu, Büke Uras, Cevdet Erek, Claire Fontaine Kolektifi, Claude Closky, Erik Bullot, Esma Ertel and Murat Ertel, Güçlü Öztekin, Güneş Terkol, İnci Eviner, İnci Furni, İrem Günaydın, Laurent Grasso, Le Peuple Qui Manque Kolektifi, Liam Gillick, M/M (Michael Amzalag ve Mathias Augustyniak), Michele Ciacciofera, Mika Rottenberg, Nasan Tur, Nil Yalter, Özlem Altın, Rafael Lain – Angela Detanico, Sarkis, Serkan Özkaya, Seza Paker, Tarek Atoui, Ugo Rondinone, Thierry Kuntzel, Ulay (Frank Uwe Laysiepen), Victor Burgin, Yıldız Moran and Yüksel Arslan.
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Turkish Edition
Cover Image: Halil Altındere, “Star Wars: Mardin,” 2024, 3D animated video, 3D Generalist: Utku Turan.
Courtesy of PILOT Gallery
