The Istanbul Biennial and the contested cultural sphere in Turkey

This chapter explores the evolving dynamics of the Istanbul Biennial, focusing specifically on the 11th Biennial as a reflection of Turkey’s sociopolitical and cultural tensions in 2009. It examines the intersection of contemporary art, political activism, and corporate sponsorship within the framework of neoliberalism, illustrating how these elements influence artistic expression and public discourse. The 11th Biennial emerged as a significant locus of political contention and artistic defiance, particularly exemplified by the actions of the anarchist group Resistanbul, which self-identified as “the culture commissaries.” The chapter also highlights how another collective of activist artists, absent from the official biennial, established an alternative platform called Hayalet (meaning “ghost” or “imagine”) to critique the commodification of art and the institutional hegemony embedded in the Biennial. By presenting their own autonomous exhibition referred to as an “alternative biennial” by the press, these artists challenged the institutional, corporate and government influences on art and underscored the potential of a democratized art scene in Istanbul. By situating the Biennial within the broader history of Turkish contemporary art and its internationalization since the 1980s, the chapter reveals how the Biennial serves as both a platform for contemporary Turkish art and a battleground for contrasting ideologies in Turkey’s cultural landscape.