{"id":74028,"date":"2025-12-24T00:50:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T21:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/art50.net\/7th-mardin-biennial-skyground\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T01:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T22:16:11","slug":"7th-mardin-biennial-skyground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/art50.net\/en\/7th-mardin-biennial-skyground\/","title":{"rendered":"7th Mardin Biennial: SKYground"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

15 May \u2013 21 June 2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The 7th edition of the Mardin Biennial, to be held under the directorship of D\u00f6ne Otyam and Hakan Irmak, hosted by the Mardin Cinema Association, curated by \u00c7elenk Bafra, and realized with PEUGEOT as the main sponsor, will meet art audiences between 15 May and 21 June 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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 K\u0131z\u0131ltepe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The title of the 7th Mardin Biennial: \u201cSKYground\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201csky\u201d and \u201cground,\u201d which divide the horizon into two, the biennial opens a silent passage between worlds thought to be distant from one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the biennial, which calls the viewer to a multi-layered experience extending both upward and inward, birds\u2014holding a special place in the cultural memory of the region\u2014serve 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The conceptual compass of the biennial points to two literary works that appear to stand in opposition to one another: <\/span>The Birds<\/span>, the comedy by Aristophanes, and <\/span>Mant\u0131ku\u2019t-Tayr<\/span> (<\/span>The Conference of the Birds<\/span>) by Fer\u00eed\u00fcdd\u00een Att\u00e2r. Both texts treat birds not merely as part of nature, but as symbols of quest, critique, resistance, and transformation.<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Can a common ground on which freedom and happiness might flourish be reimagined? Is a sky opening toward goodness and truth still possible?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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\u2019s diverse geographies. New exhibition venues are Dara Ancient City, Deyrulzafaran Monastery, and Ate\u015f Beyler Hamam\u0131 \u2013 a hammam in K\u0131z\u0131ltepe \u2013 alongside Caravanserai, Marangozlar Kahvesi (Carpenter\u2019s Caf\u00e9), and Sak\u0131p Sabanc\u0131 Mardin City Museum in Old Mardin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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 \u201cGaza Biennale Initiative\u201d, and with Stadtkuratorin Hamburg \/ City Curator Hamburg for \u201cFrom the Cosmos to the Commons\u201d program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Artists<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

(listed alphabetically by surname)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hamra Abbas (1976, Lahore), Yasmeen Al Daya (2001, Gaza), Carlos Aires (1974, M\u00e1laga), Rozelin Akg\u00fcn (1995, Diyarbak\u0131r), H\u00fcseyin Aksoy (1995, Mardin), Fares Ayash (1984, Gaza), Vahap Av\u015far (1965, Malatya), Alper Ayd\u0131n (1989, Ordu), Mehtap Baydu (Bing\u00f6l), Bi Acayip H\u00e2ne (Senem R\u00e2bia Sekban & Fatma Alara Akg\u00fcn, founded 2020), Mehmet Ali Boran (1981, Mardin), Hilal Can (1987, \u00c7anakkale), Cansu \u00c7akar (1988, Istanbul), Isaac Chong Wai (1990, Guangdong), Canan Da\u011fdelen (1960, Istanbul), \u00d6zg\u00fcr Demirci (1981, Konya), Bawer Do\u011fanay (1990, Mardin), Jakup Ferri (1981, Pristina), Alfredo Jaar (1956, Santiago de Chile), Ekin Kano (1990, Istanbul), \u0160ejla Kameri\u0107 (1976, Sarajevo), Ali Kaaf (1977, Oran), Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos (1981, Thessaloniki), Pelin K\u0131rca (1982, Ankara), Kite (Dr. Suzanne Kite) (1990, Ogl\u00e1la Lak\u021f\u00f3ta), Hiwa K (1975, Sulaymaniyah), G\u00f6zde \u0130lkin (1981, Istanbul), Ahmet Do\u011fu \u0130pek (1983, Ad\u0131yaman), Basim Magdy (1977, Asyut), Maro Michalakakos (1967, Athens), Ma\u0142gorzata Mirga-Tas (1978, Zakopane), Zahit Mungan (1991, Mardin), Erkan \u00d6zgen (1971, Mardin), Khalil Rabah (1961, Ramallah), Michael Rakowitz (1973, New York), Camila Rocha (1977, S\u00e3o Paulo), Sel\u00e7uk Artut (1976, Istanbul), Slavs and Tatars (founded 2006), Xul Solar (1887\u20131963, Buenos Aires), Erin\u00e7 Seymen (1980, Istanbul), \u0130rem Tok (1982, Istanbul)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Venues and Artists<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Sak\u0131p Sabanc\u0131 Mardin City Museum<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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Sak\u0131p Sabanc\u0131 Mardin City Museum. Photo: G\u00fcliz \u00d6zbek Collini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Sak\u0131p Sabanc\u0131 Mardin City Museum is situated within Mardin\u2019s historic urban fabric and functions as an exhibition space where contemporary display practices interact with layered architectural continuity. Constructed in 1889 during the reign of Abd\u00fclhamid II by the Governor of Diyarbak\u0131r, Hac\u0131 Hasan Pa\u015fa, the building was designed by architect Sarkis Elyas Lole as a cavalry barracks. After serving military purposes for many years, the structure now houses the Sak\u0131p Sabanc\u0131 Mardin City Museum and Dilek Sabanc\u0131 Art Gallery, bringing together multiple layers of collective memory within a single architectural complex. Thick stone walls, restrained openings, and inward-oriented spaces preserve the building\u2019s disciplined character, while contemporary exhibitions establish a direct dialogue with its historical atmosphere and enduring spatial continuity today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Artists presented at Sak\u0131p Sabanc\u0131 Mardin Kent Museum:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahmet Do\u011fu \u0130pek, Ali Kaaf, Camila Rocha, Cansu \u00c7akar, Erin\u00e7 Seymen, Erkan \u00d6zgen, Hamra Abbas, Hiwa K, H\u00fcseyin Aksoy, Isaac Chong Wai, \u0130rem Tok, Jakup Ferri, Khalil Rabah, Margorzata Mirga-Tas, Maro Michalakakos, Michael Rakowitz, \u00d6zg\u00fcr Demirci, Slavs and Tatars, Zahit Mungan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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K\u0131z\u0131ltepe <\/span>Ate\u015f Beyler Ha<\/span>mmam<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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K\u0131z\u0131ltepe Ate\u015f Beyler Hammam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Construction of Ate\u015f Beyler Hamam\u0131 began in 1965, and the building officially opened in 1967. Operated by Abdurrahman Ate\u015f, it functioned for many years as the first and only hammam in K\u0131z\u0131ltepe, becoming an important part of the town\u2019s social and collective life. After ceasing operations in 1982, the structure remained unused for a long period of time. In 2007, the building temporarily regained a public role by hosting \u201cWhat Are You Doing?\u201d, the first contemporary art exhibition organized in K\u0131z\u0131ltepe, before once again becoming inactive after the exhibition ended. Between 15 May and 21 June 2026, Ate\u015f Beyler Hamam\u0131 will serve as a venue of the 7th Mardin Biennial, reconnecting architectural memory with contemporary artistic production today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Artists presented at K\u0131z\u0131ltepe Ate\u015f Beyler Hammam:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hilal Can, G\u00f6zde \u0130lkin, Bi Acayip H\u00e2ne, Carlos Aires, Gazze Bienali \u0130nisiyatifi, Gaza Biennial Initiative, Alfredo Jaar, Fares Ayash, Larissa Araz, Yasmeen Al Day, Bawer Do\u011fanay, Mehmet Ali Boran<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dara Ancient City<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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Dara Ancient City<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dara Ancient City was established in Upper Mesopotamia during the early sixth century under Emperor Anastasius as a planned garrison settlement designed to protect the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. Positioned along the Roman\u2013Sasanian border, the city is characterized by walls, towers, and civic structures together with an extensive infrastructural network of cisterns, water channels, storage areas, passages, and rock-cut underground spaces. This integrated system enabled the long-term continuity of military, administrative, and civilian life within the settlement. Considered together with its necropolis areas and gallery tombs, Dara emerges as a strategic frontier city where defense, water management, and spatial organization were conceived as interconnected elements within the same enduring urban and architectural framework across centuries of continuous occupation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Artists presented at Dara Ancient City:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alper Ayd\u0131n, KITE, Sel\u00e7uk Artut, \u0160ejla Kameri\u0107, Xul Solar<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Deyrulzafaran Monastery<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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Deyrulzafaran Monastery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Deyrulzafaran Monastery, located southeast of Mardin, is a multilayered religious complex distinguished by its uninterrupted sacred use from antiquity to the present day. Architectural traces from pre-Christian, late antique, and medieval periods are organized around the subterranean chamber beneath the main structure, commonly identified as an underground sun temple. Later Christian construction phases were built directly above these earlier layers, establishing a continuous spatial relationship between underground, surface, and upper levels. From the fifth century onward, the monastery became an important center for the Syriac Orthodox tradition, bringing together religious, educational, and administrative functions within the same complex. Churches, courtyards, chapels, monks\u2019 cells, and cisterns together create a continuous sacred landscape shaped through architecture, light, material continuity, and ritual circulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Artists presented at Deyrulzafaran Monastery:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaac Chong Wai, Maro Michalakakos, Pelin K\u0131rca, Canan Da\u011fdelen, Vahap Av\u015far<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Caravanserai<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Caravanserai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Caravanserai is one of Mardin\u2019s emblematic historic buildings and previously functioned as both the municipal building and government headquarters. Its administrative and civic past remains visible through the structure\u2019s architectural organization and spatial arrangement. Elements associated with authority, representation, and public presence continue to be expressed through the building\u2019s scale, openings, and position within the city. Located directly opposite the Sak\u0131p Sabanc\u0131 Mardin City Museum, Caravanserai occupies a prominent threshold within Mardin\u2019s historic urban fabric. Today, the structure is understood less through its former institutional roles than through its openness and spatial clarity, creating a quiet zone of encounter between accumulated history and contemporary experience. Memory, public visibility, and architectural continuity together shape the perception and experience of the site today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Artists presented at Caravanserai:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basim Magdy, Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos, Ekin Kano, Rozelin Akg\u00fcn<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Carpemters Coffeehouse<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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Carpemters Coffeehouse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Situated on the upper level of Revakl\u0131 Bazaar, also known as the Sipahiler or Tellallar Bazaar, this historic mansion is currently used as Marangozlar Kahvesi. Developed within the artisanal and commercial network of the bazaar, the building functions not only as a gathering place for local carpenters, but also as a meeting point for students, academics, and artists. Its elevated position allows it to remain connected to the movement of the bazaar while simultaneously separating itself from it, creating a transitional atmosphere where different rhythms and forms of interaction intersect. Today, the space preserves traces of its historical past while remaining open to new encounters and cultural production. It continues to function as a shared environment where everyday social life and contemporary artistic exchange coexist together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Artists presented at Carpemters Coffeehouse:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alper Ayd\u0131n, Hamra Abbas, Mehmet Ali Boran, Mehtap Baydu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can access our detailed content about the 6th Mardin Biennial, held in 2024 under the theme \u201cFurther Away\u201d, right here<\/mark><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cover Image: G\u00fcliz \u00d6zbek Collini<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 7th edition of the Mardin Biennial, to be held under the directorship of D\u00f6ne Otyam and Hakan Irmak, hosted by the Mardin Cinema Association<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1456,"featured_media":74055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4523],"tags":[4792,4795,4796,4793,4791,4794],"class_list":["post-74028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fairs-and-biennials","tag-celenk-bafra-en","tag-done-otyam-en","tag-gokzemin-en","tag-hakan-irmak-en","tag-mardin-en","tag-mardinbienali-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/art50.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/art50.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/art50.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art50.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1456"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art50.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74028"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"https:\/\/art50.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76353,"href":"https:\/\/art50.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74028\/revisions\/76353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art50.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/art50.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art50.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art50.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}