As preparations for the city’s inaugural film festival continue, Çanakkale is also working to put on the second edition of its international biennial this September.The Second Çanakkale Biennial will be held from Sept. 20 to Oct. 10 under the conceptual framework of “Kurgusal Gerçekler, Dönüşümler,” or “Fictional Realities, Transformations.”
The biennial will showcase works of art by 70 contemporary artists and art groups from around the world. Works by 56 artists from countries such as Turkey, France, Norway, Iran, Canada, South Korea and Japan were displayed in the inaugural biennial, organized in 2008 by the Çanakkale Municipality.
“Çanakkale, [is a city] where novelty, change and transformation are welcome with great tolerance,” Mayor Ülgür Gökhan told reporters last week during a press conference to announce the details of the biennial. “Çanakkale is a highly appropriate location to hold a biennial … that is made up of works that offer alternative, thought-provoking … points of view,” he added.
The biennial’s curator, Seyhan Boztepe, said exhibitions and performances of the second biennial would be presented in 15 venues across the city, although the exact locations have yet to be announced.
Çanakkale will also be hosting its first major film festival this fall, from Sept. 15 to 19. In October, the city will also be home to British artist Mark Wallinger’s public art installation, “Cinema Amnesia,” as part of the British Council’s “My City” project.
