15 May – 21 June 2026

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. New exhibition venues are Dara Ancient City, Deyrulzafaran Monastery, and Ateş Beyler Hamamı – a hammam in Kızıltepe – alongside Kervansaray, Marangozlar Kahvesi (Carpenter’s Café), and Sakıp Sabancı Mardin City Museum in Old Mardin.

The 7th Mardin Biennial brings together 41 artists and artist collectives from 20 countries, including six artists based in Mardin and its surrounding region. While several participants are developing newly commissioned works for the biennial, others present existing works adapted to the conceptual framework and historical context of the city. The exhibition spans painting, sculpture, video, photography, performance, sound, and site-specific installations. The biennial also includes curatorial collaborations with House of Taswir for “Gaza Biennale Initiative”, and with Stadtkuratorin Hamburg / City Curator Hamburg for “From the Cosmos to the Commons” program.

Artists

(listed alphabetically by surname)

Hamra Abbas (1976, Lahore)

Yasmeen Al Daya (2001, Gaza)

Carlos Aires (1974, Málaga)

Rozelin Akgün (1995, Diyarbakır)

Hüseyin Aksoy (1995, Mardin)

Fares Ayash (1984, Gaza)

Vahap Avşar (1965, Malatya)

Alper Aydın (1989, Ordu)

Mehtap Baydu (Bingöl)

Bi Acayip Hâne (Senem Râbia Sekban & Fatma Alara Akgün, founded 2020)

Mehmet Ali Boran (1981, Mardin)

Hilal Can (1987, Çanakkale)

Cansu Çakar (1988, Istanbul)

Isaac Chong Wai (1990, Guangdong)

Canan Dağdelen (1960, Istanbul)

Özgür Demirci (1981, Konya)

Bawer Doğanay (1990, Mardin)

Jakup Ferri (1981, Pristina)

Alfredo Jaar (1956, Santiago de Chile)

Ekin Kano (1990, Istanbul)

Šejla Kamerić (1976, Sarajevo)

Ali Kaaf (1977, Oran)

Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos (1981, Thessaloniki)

Pelin Kırca (1982, Ankara)

Kite (Dr. Suzanne Kite) (1990, Oglála Lakȟóta)

Hiwa K (1975, Sulaymaniyah)

Gözde İlkin (1981, Istanbul)

Ahmet Doğu İpek (1983, Adıyaman)

Basim Magdy (1977, Asyut)

Maro Michalakakos (1967, Athens)

Małgorzata Mirga-Tas (1978, Zakopane)

Zahit Mungan (1991, Mardin)

Erkan Özgen (1971, Mardin)

Khalil Rabah (1961, Ramallah)

Michael Rakowitz (1973, New York)

Camila Rocha (1977, São Paulo)

Selçuk Artut (1976, Istanbul)

Slavs and Tatars (founded 2006)

Xul Solar (1887–1963, Buenos Aires)

Erinç Seymen (1980, Istanbul)

İrem Tok (1982, Istanbul)

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