Abstract:

Biennials, which are held biennially and are one of the show platforms of contemporary art, were held for the first time in the world in 1895 in Venice. These art events held in an international context have become important platforms for both the city, where they are held, and the participating artists. While attracting attention to the city thanks to these organizations, artists try to make themselves visible in the international arena. Following these first biennials in Venice, biennials have started to be held in many parts of the world with the name of that place. The first biennial in Turkey was opened in Ankara in 1986 as the International Asia-Europe Art Biennial, but it was held only four times. The International Istanbul Biennial, which is among the world-renowned biennials today, has been held since 1987. Since the 2000s, biennials have also been held in other cities of Turkey. It is possible to define these biennials as “peripheral biennials” in general. The definition of periphery is a definition used for places outside the centre. In this context, if Istanbul is considered as a centre, it is possible to evaluate the places outside of it as a periphery. Among the biennials held in the periphery in Turkey, the ones held in Sinop (2006), Çanakkale (2008), and in Mardin (2010) draw attention. The objective of this study is to discuss these consistently ongoing peripheral biennials through the centre-periphery relationship.

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