545.000 viewers visited the biennial in 36 venues
The 14th Istanbul Biennial, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV)
with the sponsorship of Koç Holding ended on Thursday, 26 November. The 14th Istanbul Biennial drew a record number of visitors as of 5 September, the day the biennial had opened its doors to the public. Due to great interest, the exhibition in Istanbul Modern, one of the 14th Istanbul Biennial venues, was extended until 26 November 2015. During 12 weeks, 545,000 viewers visited the biennial exhibition in 36 venues.
The 14th Istanbul Biennial SALTWATER: A Theory of Thought Forms, is drafted by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev with a number of alliances. Encompassing 36 venues on the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus, the biennial took place in museums as well as temporary spaces of habitation on land and on sea such as boats, hotels, former banks, garages, gardens, schools, shops and private homes and presented over 1,500 artworks by over 80 participants.
The Istanbul Biennial has gradually reached a wider audience in every edition and this year drew a record number of visitors. 545,000 viewers visited the 14th Istanbul Biennial. 51,000 visitors attended the 9th Istanbul Biennial in 2005; 91,000 visitors attended the 10th Istanbul Biennial in 2007; 101,000 visitors attended the 11th Istanbul Biennial in 2009; 110,000 visitors attended the 12th Istanbul Biennial in 2011; and 337,429 visitors attended the 13th Istanbul Biennial in 2013.
14th Istanbul Biennial met the viewers also with its events
SALTWATER: Speech Acts and Forms of Discourse offered opportunities for public engagement with more than 200 artists, scientists, curators, philosophers, and other cultural activists through over 80 round table discussions, seminars and presentations, conversations with the audience and group readings, in addition to daily guided tours and programmes for children. The 14th Istanbul Biennial events were attended by an audience of over 3,500 people.
The film programme was conceived as a series of pairings between feature films and artists' films and videos around four themes: Eco-Fi, Subaquatic, Survival, and Life by the Shore, and was free of charge throughout the biennial at the Istanbul Modern Cinema. Feature films were programmed by Müge Turan and Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, while films and artists' works were paired by James Richards. This programme was held on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays until 1 November, screening 44 films.
The Education Programme for Children and Youth and guided tours attracted great attention
The Education Programme for Children and Youth realised with the support of Koç Holding and the cooperation of Pace Children's Art Center, was held free of charge for children and young people between ages 8 and 18. 3,000 children and young people attended the workshops which took place in Büyükada and Galata Greek Primary School. Students and young people formed 30% of the biennial viewers.
The Guided Tours brought together the biennial and young people. Many young guides were trained for a month before the opening of the biennial to accompany visitors at the biennial with the support of Koç Holding. Guided tours of the 14th Istanbul Biennial were held on 4 different routes.