Mardin Biennial announces theme for 7th edition

ISTANBUL

The seventh edition of the Mardin Biennial, one of Türkiye’s leading contemporary art events, will take place between May 15 and June 21, 2026.

Hosted by the Mardin Cinema Association, the biennial will be directed by Döne Otyam and Hakan Irmak, with curatorship undertaken by Çelenk Bafra, the artistic director of Istanbul Modern, who has long worked with museums and art institutions in Türkiye and Europe.

The advisory board includes Esra Aliçavuşoğlu, Fırat Arapoğlu, Mehmet Said Aydın, Evin Sevgi Baran and Paolo Colombo.

Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul, Irmak said the biennial marked its 15th year, recalling that the first edition was held in 2010. He emphasized Mardin’s deep-rooted cultural and artistic heritage and said the aim was to carry “a light rising from the east” onto a national and international platform by highlighting the city’s identity and brand value.

Curator Bafra announced that the theme of the 2026 biennial will be “GÖKzemin.”

She said the title reflects how contemporary art navigates between reality and imagination, the material and the spiritual and the political and the poetic, within the context of Mardin. The biennial, she added, will invite audiences on a journey between seemingly opposing poles such as sky and earth, past and future and the individual and the collective.

Bafra noted that the conceptual framework draws inspiration from Aristophanes’ political comedy “The Birds” and the Persian classic “The Conference of the Birds” by Farid al-Din Attar, both centered on ideas of journey, transformation and the search for truth.

For the first time, the biennial will expand beyond Mardin’s historic old city. While Upper Mardin and the Deyrulzafaran Monastery will remain central, Dara Ancient City and Kızıltepe will also be included as key venues.

The main sponsor of the biennial is Peugeot Türkiye. Brand Director Gupse Kaplan said the partnership aimed not only to support the event but also to bring art, creativity and diversity to wider audiences.