Turkey Picks İnci Eviner and Zeynep Öz for 2019 Venice Biennale

Turkey has selected artist İnci Eviner and curator Zeynep Öz to represent the country at the 58th Venice Biennale, running from May 11 to November 24, 2019. Eviner, born in Polatlı, Turkey in 1956, is known for works spanning drawing, painting, video, and performance, often addressing power dynamics and women's roles while blending traditional painting with new technologies. Her international career includes participation in the 1997 Venice Biennale, biennials in Shanghai (2008), Istanbul (2005, 2013), Thessaloniki (2013), and Sharjah (2017), where she won the Sharjah Biennial Prize. The Turkish Pavilion at the Arsenale will be curated by independent curator Zeynep Öz, who previously worked on off-site projects for the 2017 Istanbul Biennial and collaborated with Eviner at the Sharjah Biennial. The pavilion is organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), which manages the Arsenale space until 2034, along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and is sponsored by Fiat. The all-female selection contrasts with Turkey's criticized record on minority rights and gender equality. Charlotte Laubard was earlier announced as curator of the Swiss Pavilion.