Iwona Blazwick named curator of Istanbul biennale

Curator, writer and art historian Iwona Blazwick, chair of the Royal Commission of AlUla's Public Art Expert Panel in Saudi Arabia and former long-time director of London's Whitechapel Gallery, will curate the Eighteenth Istanbul Biennale. Scheduled to take place from September 14 to November 17, 2024, the Biennale is sponsored by Turkish conglomerate Koç Holding and organized by the non-profit organization Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), which also organizes the film, theater and city music. The theme of the event and the participating artists have not yet been announced.

Blazwick raised eyebrows last summer with his decision to accept his role in Saudi Arabia, which, like Turkey, has a poor human rights record. Responding to critics at the time, she stated: “I prefer to be involved where I can help contribute to freedom of expression, to the cultivation of art, because I believe that art changes society.”

Blazwick led Whitechapel from 2001 to 2022, during which time he gained a reputation for his commitment to cutting-edge art and for commissioning new works from highly acclaimed artists. She oversaw the gallery's expansion in 2009 and bolstered its already excellent programming with solo exhibitions by artists including Isa Genzken, Nan Goldin, Hannah Höch and Sarah Lucas, and collectives such as “Back to Black: Art, Cinema, and the Racial Imaginary” (2005) and “Electronic Superhighway (2016–1966)” (2016), the latter gave rise to numerous exhibitions themed post-internet in other institutions. Before arriving at Whitechapel, she was director of exhibitions at Tate Modern, coming from the Institute of Contemporary Art London. Previously, Blazwick served as director of the pioneering feminist AIR Gallery.

Source: Artforum