Anatolia’s first biennial, Sinopale – International Sinop Biennial, celebrates its 20th anniversary with its 10th edition, taking place from 2 September – 15 November 2026. Titled “On Land We Reason, At Sea We Sense,” Sinopale 10 brings together approximately 25 artists from 12 countries in Sinop. Distinguished by its process-oriented structure, in which artistic production begins long before the opening of the exhibition, the biennial will see artists begin producing their works in the city from 2 September, together with local craftspeople, communities and volunteers. The main exhibition, comprising works produced in Sinop, will open on 25 September at the Sinop Military Casino Building.
First held in 2006, Sinopale – International Sinop Biennial reaches an important milestone in its twenty-year history with its tenth edition, taking place from 2 September – 15 November 2026. Having transformed Sinop into one of the important meeting points for contemporary art through local participation, its imece-based production model and collaborations with national and international artists, the biennial aims to carry this legacy into the future with its tenth edition. Since its inception, Sinopale has adopted a horizontal curatorial model in which different figures work together on an equal footing rather than appointing a single chief curator. The 10th edition is co-curated by Deniz Kırkalı, Mariam Natroshvili, Marina Fokidis and the biennial’s founder, Melih Görgün.
Sinopale 10 adopts a more inclusive and multi-centred approach as an alternative to the established structure of contemporary art, which is largely based on Europe-centred circulation networks. Bringing artists from different geographies, including Georgia, South Korea, Kazakhstan and Venezuela, into its programme alongside Europe, the participation of Mariam Natroshvili from Georgia as co-curator is also an important part of this approach. This choice reflects Sinopale’s commitment to establishing new relationships between different geographies and diversifying the channels through which contemporary art circulates.
What’s On at Sinopale 10?
Inspired by the words of a Sinop fisherman, the title “On Land We Reason, At Sea We Sense” invites us to consider different ways of producing knowledge, making decisions and living together in today’s world, marked by uncertainty.
Sinop’s historical relationship with the sea forms one of the starting points of the biennial. In Sinop, known as one of the Black Sea’s safe harbours, an approaching storm often reveals itself first through the behaviour of the sea and the fishermen. The boats beginning to seek shelter in the harbour are a sign of changing conditions. Drawing on this observation, Sinopale 10 draws attention to the importance of solidarity, collective production and local forms of knowledge in times of uncertainty. Placing the concept of imece at its centre, Sinopale 10 also invites audiences to reconsider who shapes artistic production and through which forms of knowledge and experience.
Exhibitions and Events Will Spread Across the City
While the main exhibition of Sinopale 10 will be presented at the Sinop Military Casino Building, performances, film screenings, workshops and public events taking place throughout the biennial alongside the exhibition will spread across different locations in the city, particularly the Hal Sinop Meeting Centre, Sinop Sabahattin Ali Cultural Centre and Sinop Chamber of Architects Building.
As part of its parallel events, the biennial will also host an international collaboration project developed with the Austria-based Klima Biennale Wien and Brunnenpassage, aiming to strengthen processes of artistic production and exchange based on public outcomes between Sinop and cultural institutions in Europe.
The full programme of Sinopale 10, with all events free and open to everyone without registration, can be found on the biennial’s social media channels.
ARTISTS PARTICIPATING IN SINOPALE 10
Adina Mocanu, Aleksi Soselia, Ali Kazma, Angela Bonadies, Angelo Plessas, Anna Dziapshipa, Anuar Duisenbinov, Ayesha Hameed, Burak Kabadayı, Collective MASI, Evrim Kavcar, Eylem Ertürk, Ezgi Tok, Fisherwxmen, Giorgi Khasaia, İpek İpekçioğlu, Kadir Kayserilioğlu, Loop N Tale, Natalia Nebieridze, Paky Vlassopoulou, Paloma Proudfoot, Serkan Aka and Tanja Ostojić.
SINOPALE 10 CO-CURATORS
London-based curator and writer Deniz Kırkalı is a co-founder of the research collective topsoil and the Garp Sessions summer residency programme. Focusing on collaboration and experimental pedagogies, Kırkalı holds a PhD in Curatorial Practices from Goldsmiths.
Tbilisi-based artist and researcher Mariam Natroshvili works with memory, forgetting and urban transformation. Her practice, which brings together oral history, text, archives and digital experiences, has been exhibited in Georgia and on international platforms.
Athens-based curator, writer and educator Marina Fokidis is the founder of Kunsthalle Athena and South as a State of Mind magazine. Her interests include geography, coexistence and socio-political issues; she served as Head of the Athens Art Office for documenta 14.
Sinop-born artist, curator and academic Melih Görgün works across Istanbul, Sinop and Berlin. The founder of Sinopale and Weltoffenschule, Görgün brings together art, the city and cultural research and has co-curated several editions of Sinopale.