The Three-Legged Cat
18th Istanbul Biennial
September 20–November 23, 2025
The first leg of the 18th Istanbul Biennial, titled The Three-Legged Cat and curated by Christine Tohmé can be visited free of charge between September 20 and November 23, 2025 at eight different venues all located within walking distance of one another along the Beyoğlu-Karaköy axis of Istanbul.
The biennial exhibition, featuring works by 47 artists from more than 30 countries will be open between 10.00 and 18.00 every day except Mondays.
Christine Tohmé’s full curatorial statement is available on the biennial’s website.
Further details about biennial venues can be found here.
Participating artists in the first leg of the biennial are:
At Galata Greek School: Nolan Oswald Dennis, İpek Duben, Ali Eyal, Simone Fattal, Lou Fauroux, Lungiswa Gqunta, Kongkee, Seta Manoukian, Merve Mepa, Naomi Rincón-Gallardo, Ana Vaz, Akram Zaatari, Ayman Zedani
At Zihni Han: Abdullah Al Saadi, Willy Aractingi, Karimah Ashadu, Chen Ching-Yuan, Ian Davis, Celina Eceiza, Pélagie Gbaguidi, Rafik Greiss, Jasleen Kaur, Valentin Noujaïm, Marwan Rechmaoui, Stéphanie Saadé, Sara Sadik, Sohail Salem, Elif Saydam, Selma Selman
At Muradiye Han: Ana Alenso
At Galeri 77: Haig Aivazian, Ola Hassanain, Mona Marzouk, Dilek Winchester
At Cone Factory: Doruntina Kastrati, Claudia Pagès Rabal
At Meclis-i Mebusan 35: Eva Fàbregas, Pilar Quinteros, VASKOS (Vassilis Noulas & Kostas Tzimoulis)
At the Garden of the Former French Orphanage: Khalil Rabah
At Elhamra Han: Mona Benyamin, Şafak Şule Kemancı, Jagdeep Raina, Riar Rizaldi, Lara Saab, Natasha Tontey, Sevil Tunaboylu
18th Istanbul Biennial’s public program in the opening week features a series of performances, screenings, and live events.
Performances
Selma Selman’s Motherboards
Alex Baczyński-Jenkins’ Untitled (Holding Horizon)
Ahmad Ghossein’s So your heart aches, huh? or The Pit
Film screenings
Maxime Hourani’s Stones Never Lie
Samar Al Summary’s What Goes Up
Lawrence Abu Hamdan’s 45th Parallel
Suneil Sanzgiri’s An Impossible Address
DJ performances
Jtamul
Urok Shirhan
GLVRE
LOKA
Admission to public program events is free of charge, while capacities are limited. Find out more about the public program here.
A shared hub for gatherings and events: Zihni Han Floor Two
Zihni Han Floor Two is conceived as an open space for the visitors to pause, rest, and spend time together. Those interested in organising a gathering, conversation, workshop, or any other events in this space are invited to send their proposals to ist.biennial.zihnihan2@iksv.org.
The program at Zihni Han, running from 20 September to 23 November, will be continuously updated and can be accessed via the QR code displayed on site. Proposed events will be scheduled in line with the biennial’s calendar.
About the 18th Istanbul Biennial
Curated by Christine Tohmé and titled The Three-Legged Cat, the 18th Istanbul Biennial will unfold in three distinct legs, each building on the previous one and carrying forward lines of inquiry and research from 2025 to 2027. The first leg will feature exhibitions and public programs running from 20 September to 23 November 2025. Throughout 2026, the Biennial will focus on establishing a permanent educational structure and offering a quarterly public program in close collaboration with local art initiatives. This edition will culminate between 18 September and 14 November 2027, with a series of exhibitions, publications, performances, and discursive gatherings.