The 11th International Istanbul Biennial bears the title: “What Keeps Mankind Alive?”, the English translation of the song “Denn wovon lebt der Mensch?” from the Threepenny Opera (Dreigroschenoper) by Bertolt Brecht. Thus it’s no surprise that the Istanbul Biennale presents explicitly political works from artists such as Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin, Wafa Hourani, Michel Journiac, Nilbar Güreş, Shahab Fotouhi, Marina Naprushkina, Bureau d’études, Nevin Aldag, Etcétera, Museum of American Art, and Marko Peljhan.
“What Keeps the Mankind Alive?” has been curated by What, How & for Whom (WHW), a non-profit organisation for visual culture and curators’ collective formed in 1999 and based in Zagreb, Croatia.
The Istanbul Biennale takes place in Antrepo No.3 (Karaköy), Feriköy Greek School (Åžişli) and Tobacco Warehouse (Tophane). In this video, we have a look at Antrepo No.3. The 11th International Istanbul Biennial runs until November 8, 2009.
11th International Istanbul Biennale: “What Keeps Mankind Alive?”. Press Preview, September 10, 2009.
Update: Review by Maureen Sullivan at V Magazine.
> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.