Iwona Blazwick was announced today as the Curator of the 18th Istanbul Biennial, running from 14 September to 17 November 2024.

Announcing the appointment, Görgün Taner, General Director of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), said “We are delighted that Iwona Blazwick has accepted our invitation to curate the 18th Istanbul Biennial. Her depth of experience and her long association with the Biennial make her an ideal choice to lead the team for 2024.”

Iwona Blazwick OBE is a curator, writer and art historian. She was Director of the Whitechapel Gallery, London from 2001-2022 having previously been at Tate Modern and London’s ICA. She inaugurated both the Tate Turbine Hall and Whitechapel Gallery commissioning programmes.

The Istanbul Biennial has hosted over 1,200 artists and artist collectives - and made use of more than 100 venues in the city - since its founding in 1987. The Biennial works on an exhibition model to enable a direct dialogue between artists from diverse cultures and the audience.

The 18th Istanbul Biennial opens to the public on 14 September 2024, with the professional preview held on the 12th and 13th September.

Iwona Blazwick, Curator, Istanbul Biennial 2024 and Bige Örer, Director, Istanbul Biennial - photo: Salih Üstündağ, courtesy of IKSV