The 7th edition of the Mardin Biennial, to be held under the directorship of Döne Otyam and Hakan Irmak, hosted by the Mardin Cinema Association, curated by Çelenk Bafra, and realized with PEUGEOT as the main sponsor, will meet art audiences between 15 May and 21 June 2026.
Organized since 2010, the Mardin Biennial, for the first time in its history, expands beyond the boundaries of the old city with this edition, inviting viewers to explore different geographical and cultural layers of the region through exhibitions held in the Ancient City of Dara, the Deyrulzafaran Monastery, and Kızıltepe.
The title of the 7th Mardin Biennial: “SKYground”
The biennial makes visible, in the context of Mardin, the relationships that contemporary art establishes between the real and the imaginary, the material and the spiritual, the political and the poetic. This framework, which draws a line of thought and emotion between sky and ground, the individual and the collective, the past and the future, invites the viewer on a layered journey between poles that may appear contradictory. Bringing together “sky” and “ground,” which divide the horizon into two, the biennial opens a silent passage between worlds thought to be distant from one another.
In the biennial, which calls the viewer to a multi-layered experience extending both upward and inward, birds—holding a special place in the cultural memory of the region—serve as guides. Carrying with them the stories absorbed into the stones of Mardin and the winds unique to its geography, birds glide between sky and ground, tracing routes among exhibitions, site-specific installations, and performances across different points of the city.
The conceptual compass of the biennial points to two literary works that appear to stand in opposition to one another: The Birds, the comedy by Aristophanes, and Mantıku’t-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds) by Ferîdüddîn Attâr. Both texts treat birds not merely as part of nature, but as symbols of quest, critique, resistance, and transformation.
Situated at the crossroads of different civilizations throughout history, Mardin offers a multi-layered heritage through its architecture, historical accumulation, and social fabric. The city’s elevated position and its horizon opening onto Upper Mesopotamia are among the fundamental elements that shape both the conceptual orientation and the sensory atmosphere of SKYground.
Can a common ground on which freedom and happiness might flourish be reimagined? Is a sky opening toward goodness and truth still possible?
As the Mardin Biennial takes shape around these questions, it extends beyond the old city for the first time, inviting viewers on a journey across the city’s diverse geographies:
Upper Mardin
With its historical texture, multicultural structure, and view opening onto Mesopotamia, it constitutes the intellectual center of the biennial. The relationship that stone architecture establishes with the sky renders spatially visible the biennial’s tension between “sky” and “ground.”
Kızıltepe
An urban area where everyday life, production, and movement are concentrated. With its constantly transforming public spaces and social structure, Kızıltepe stands out as a stop that nourishes the biennial’s contemporary, political, and critical dimension.
Ancient City of Dara
A threshold where time slows down through its historical layers and powerful silence. Its structures intertwined with the natural landscape form one of the places where the conceptual and sensory bond established between ground and sky is felt most tangibly.
Deyrulzafaran Monastry
You can access our detailed content about the 6th Mardin Biennial, held in 2024 under the theme “Further Away”, right here.
Cover Image: Güliz Özbek Collini