VENICE – ISTANBUL

The second international exhibition of Istanbul Museum of Modern Art "Venice-İstanbul," a selection of works from the 51st Venice Biennial made possible through the support of Türk Telekom. The Venice Biennial, which sets the agenda for the art world, moved to our country for the first time in its 110-year history.

For the first time, the 51st Venice Biennial was curated by two women. Maria de Corral and Rosa Martinez, who is also chief curator at İstanbul Modern, realized two separate exhibitions. While Maria de Corral provided a historical and classical selection of works in her exhibit entitled, "The Experience of Art," Rosa Martinez used an experimental exhibit style to emphasize new developments in art in "Always a Little Further."

The exhibition "Venice-Istanbul," including works selected from the biennial by its co-curator and Istanbul Modern’s chief curator Rosa Martinez, brought together exciting works carrying traces of the past and seeds of the future from these two exhibits. The exhibition, which considers numerous issues, gathered leading contemporary artists and will enable audiences to see their fascinating works at an İstanbul venue.

Coinciding with the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Italy and the subsequent declaration of İstanbul and Venice as sister cities, the exhibit brought out the strong interaction between these two cities with rich historical pasts.

The works by the artists contributing to "Venice-Istanbul" carried messages of rebellion, and examine the place of individuals, particularly of women, in a globalizing society. These works hopefully enabled Istanbul Modern to play a leading role in providing a platform for the open discussion of contemporary art and women’s issues.

Curator: Rosa Martinez

Artists: Semiha Berksoy, Donna Conlon, Bruna Esposito, Regina Jose Galindo, Guerilla Girls, Subodh Gupta, Mona Hatoum, Emily Jacir, William Kentridge, Rem Koolhaas, Juan Munoz, Bülent Şangar, Berni Searle, Valeska Soares, Pascale Marthine Tayou, the Centre of Attention, Joana Vasconselos, Robin Rhode, Antoni Tapies