78 Flash Art May-June 2005
In anticipation of the 9th Istanbul Biennial (September 16 to October 30), Katerina Gregos spoke with its two curators: Charles Esche, director of the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, and Vasif Kortun, director of Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center in Istanbul.
Katerina Gregos: Can you describe the framework of the Biennial and the changes you will make to its structure?
Charles Esche/Vasif Kortun: The Biennial is called simply “Istanbul.” We chose this to indicate that the Biennial will reflect its location and the way in which art can respond to a specific geo-political reality. We’re not going for universalism. We are organizing city residencies for up to 20 artists to produce new work and dividing the selection into two parts — half made in Istanbul and half selected from other cities as a deliberate contrast to Istanbul and a way to stimulate thoughts about one city through representations of another. We are also planning a new section called “Istanbul Positionings” that will put existing initiatives in the city in touch with one another. Projects such as the Van Abbemuseum exhibition, the book to accompany the Biennial and other projects will be included under the “Positionings” umbrella.
KG: How do you see the exhibitions at the Van Abbemuseum and in Istanbul relating to each other?
CE/VK: We see the exhibitions as parallel projects that don’t depend on each other. “Istanbul” is very much about now and what is interesting about art in the context of the city, and the show in Eindhoven will be about the history of the Biennial. Works from the Van Abbemuseum’s collection will ‘represent’ the city of Eindhoven, and works from the past 18 years of the Istanbul Biennial will ‘represent’ Istanbul. In this way two incompatible sites will be brought into dialogue through artworks in ways that will prove awkward and uncomfortable, just as globalization demands of our societies.
KG: You plan to abandon the use of old buildings such as the Yerebatan Cistern. Why?
CE/VK: They have become a cliche in many ways. The idea of the foreign curator being wowed by the monuments of antiquity is itself antiquated; globalization needs more subtle responses. Istanbul is one of the largest cities in Europe and is constantly in the process of remaking itself. We want to reflect that through a choice of vernacular architecture that is itself subjected to such processes, rather than buildings frozen by conservation.
KG: How do you see your version of the Biennial in relation to previous editions?
CE/VK: If the Biennial was originally planned as a way for Istanbul to ‘catch up’ on the development of visual culture in the U.S., the original European Union and Japan, that has since been accomplished. Now Istanbul can stand on its own terms, as a crucial fulcrum of social and cultural change and a place that can inspire outsiders to new perspectives and (hopefully) extraordinary new work.
KG: By what criteria have you selected the artists?
CE/VK: Firstly, we believe in their work. Secondly, we want to concentrate on the greater region around Istanbul including the Balkans, the Middle East and Central Asia. We’ve commissioned works by artists who deal directly with the urban conditions of the city, its history and future, and have also selected pieces that we judge as capable of provoking a contrast to Istanbul or providing a conscious estrangement from the surrounding reality.
vasıf kortun 