Beral Madra on Turkish Art's Political Landscape and Biennial Evolution
Beral Madra, a Turkish curator, was a significant force behind the Bucharest Biennale called Edit Your Future, which took place from May 17 to July 8, 2018. She also played a pivotal role in launching the first two Istanbul Biennials in 1987 and 1989 and has managed five Turkish pavilions at the Venice Biennale. Despite facing issues like censorship and high rents, Turkish artists are still creating politically relevant work. Sustainable biennials have been established in Çanakkale since 2012, Sinop since 2006, and Mardin since 2010. During the 2016 Çanakkale Biennial, Madra faced political challenges that affected international artist invitations. She notes that artists often use metaphors to address delicate topics. The Bucharest Biennale, coordinated by Răzvan Ion and Eugen Rădescu, featured posters inspired by Felix Gonzalez-Torres.
Key facts
- Beral Madra co-curated the 2018 Bucharest Biennale Edit Your Future from May 17 to July 8, 2018.
- She curated the first two Istanbul Biennials in 1987 and 1989 as coordinator.
- Madra has curated five Turkish pavilions at the Venice Biennale.
- Turkish artists often produce political works despite censorship and space challenges.
- Sustainable biennials exist in Anatolian cities like Çanakkale, Sinop, and Mardin.
- Madra faced political attacks in 2016 while curating the 5th Çanakkale Biennial.
- The Bucharest Biennale was an independent initiative held in three galleries with bank sponsorship.
- Artists in Turkey use metaphors to address sensitive topics like religion and national symbols.
Entities
Artists
- Beral Madra
- Maria Orosan-Telea
- Răzvan Ion
- Teoman Madra
- Michelangelo Pistoletto
- Gilberto Zorio
- François Morellet
- Daniel Buren
- Jannis Kounellis
- Richard Long
- Sol LeWitt
- Kemal Önsoy
- Mithat Şen
- Serhat Kiraz
- Erdağ Aksel
- Gül Ilgaz
- Neriman Polat
- Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Ergin Çavuşoğlu
- Nazif Topçuoğlu
- Hussein Chalayan
- Achille Bonita Oliva
- Eugen Rădescu
- Felix Gonzalez-Torres
Institutions
- Istanbul Biennial
- Venice Biennale
- Bucharest Biennale
- Istanbul Foundation for Arts and Culture
- Osnabrück Kunsthalle
- Thessaloniki Biennale
- Çanakkale Biennial
- Istanbul Modern
- Mobius Gallery
- MORA (Opportunities for Romanian Artists)
- Atelier (Contemporary Art Space)
- Transylvania Bank
- Partners in Kind
- Pavilion journal
- Fine Arts Academy
- Bari art fair
- ARTMargins Online
Locations
- Istanbul
- Turkey
- Venice
- Italy
- Bucharest
- Romania
- Berlin
- Germany
- Santa Monica
- United States
- Canakkale
- Sinop
- Mardin
- Iraq
- Timisoara
- Osnabrück
- Thessaloniki
- Greece
- Bari
- Switzerland
- France
- Los Angeles
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —