ISTANBUL.- Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, organising body of the Istanbul Biennial, today announced that the programme previously located at the Istanbul Shipyards will be moved to another venue in the city.

Due to the delay of the construction process on the site of the Istanbul Shipyards, and the need to complete the disposal of asbestos materials determined to be present in some of the historic buildings afterwards, IKSV has decided that the Istanbul Shipyards will not be among the venues for this year’s Biennial.

A further announcement will be made in due course concerning an alternative site.

This decision does not affect work being shown in the other two locations in Istanbul, the Pera Museum and Büyükada Island.

The Istanbul Shipyards are located at the southern end of the city of Istanbul in the area known as the Golden Horn. Istanbul Shipyards have remained closed over a decade since the cessation of their original function.

Founded in 1987, Istanbul Biennial, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) and sponsored by Koç Holding, has held exhibitions in more than 100 venues, including areas not directly built for this purpose and thus enabling visitors to rediscover spaces that were not open to the public before. This year, Istanbul’s 600-year-old shipyard was planned to host a public event for the first time in its history.

The 2019 edition, under the title The Seventh Continent, curated by Nicolas Bourriaud, will take place between 14 September and 10 November 2019. The most comprehensive international art exhibition in the region, the Istanbul Biennial plays an important role in the promotion of contemporary artists from Turkey and in the international arena. The Istanbul Biennial works on an exhibition model which enables a direct dialogue between artists from diverse cultures and the audience. The curator, appointed by an international advisory board, develops a conceptual framework according to which artists and projects are invited to the exhibition.