Organized in collaboration with the Fatih Municipality and the Classical Turkish Arts Foundation, the 3rd International Yeditepe Biennial concluded its live-broadcast “Conversations” series with “Curator Talks III,” held at the Sirkeci Station Warehouses, focusing on the intellectual and ethical dimensions of art.

Held under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye and co-organized by the Fatih Municipality and the Classical Turkish Arts Foundation, the 3rd International Yeditepe Biennial continues as a multilayered artistic gathering deeply rooted in the historical and cultural fabric of Istanbul. This year, the biennial not only presented classical and contemporary artworks but also aimed to make the conceptual foundations of art visible through the “Yeditepe Biennial Conversations” program, which placed intellectual discourse at the heart of the artistic experience.

The final session of the conversation series, “Curator Talks III,” took place at the Sirkeci Station Warehouses and was streamed live. The program was conducted in two sessions: The first featured curators Fatih Ömeroğlu, Ali Rıza Özcan, and Sabriye Hilal Arpacıoğlu; while the second session welcomed Furkan Türkyılmaz, Ahmet Faruk Arslan, and Faruk Erçetin. The moderators were Emine Canlı for the first session and Gizem Ünal for the second.

Throughout the program, curators offered in-depth insights into the contemporary relevance of classical arts, the intellectual nature of curatorial perspectives, and how curatorial design constructs meaning within exhibitions. The biennial’s central theme, shaped around the concept of “Shadow,” was interpreted not only as a visual metaphor but also as an intellectual one. Key topics such as the limits of representation, the language of the unseen, and narratives shaped through silence stood out as core points of interest for the audience.

In the first session, Fatih Ömeroğlu, Ali Rıza Özcan, and Sabriye Hilal Arpacıoğlu discussed the notion of continuity in classical Turkish arts and how this continuity is reinterpreted through contemporary curatorial approaches. They emphasized that the artist is not merely a creator, but also a bearer of historical memory.

The second session, featuring Furkan Türkyılmaz, Ahmet Faruk Arslan, and Faruk Erçetin, framed curatorship as a form of narrative construction. They explored the “Shadow” metaphor in relation to exhibition design, engaging in a discussion of spatial and temporal traces within curatorial practices.

“Yeditepe Biennial Conversations” was not merely a series of events, but rather a platform for critical thought that placed issues of content, context, and representation at its center—questioning the connection between classical arts and the present day. Announced with the phrase “The biennial that follows the shadow left the final word to the artists,” this closing event reinforced the intellectual depth of the biennial as a whole.

The entire program is available for viewing on the official YouTube channel of the Yeditepe Biennial. You can access the recording of the final session through the link below:

Yeditepe Biennial Conversations – Session V: Live Broadcast Recording