Kızıltepe Ateşler Hamamı. Among the venues of 7th Mardin Biennial. Courtesy Mardin Biennial
Curated by Çelenk Bafra, the 7th Mardin Biennial brings together 41 artists and collectives from 20 countries across historic sites and exhibition venues in Mardin, Upper Mesopotamia in Southeast Türkiye.
7th Mardin Biennial: SKYground
15 May – 21 June 2026
The artists and participants of the 7th Mardin Biennial have been announced. Titled SKYground, the biennial invites audiences to consider both the ground of reality and the horizon of imagination, establishing a dialogue between contemporary artistic practices and the multilayered cultural heritage of Mardin. Moving between sky and earth, the individual and the collective, and the past and the future, the biennial traces a conceptual and spatial trajectory across the city and its surrounding landscape. Birds—figures that hold a particular place in the cultural memory of the region—serve as symbolic guides throughout the biennial. Carrying the winds unique to Mardin and the stories embedded in its stone architecture, they map invisible routes between exhibitions, site-specific installations, and public programs.
For the first time, the biennial extends beyond the boundaries of the historic old city, inviting visitors to explore the wider region. New exhibition venues are Dara Ancient City, Deyrulzafaran Monastery, and Ateş Beyler Hamamı – a hammam in Kızıltepe – alongside Kervansaray, Marangozlar Kahvesi (Carpenter’s Café), and Sakıp Sabancı Mardin City Museum in Old Mardin.
The 7th Mardin Biennial brings together 41 artists and artist collectives from 20 countries, including six artists based in Mardin and its surrounding region. While several participants are developing newly commissioned works for the biennial, others present existing works adapted to the conceptual framework and historical context of the city. The exhibition spans painting, sculpture, video, photography, performance, sound, and site-specific installations. The biennial also includes curatorial collaborations with House of Taswir for “Gaza Biennale Initiative”, and with Stadtkuratorin Hamburg / City Curator Hamburg for “From the Cosmos to the Commons” program.
The 7th Mardin Biennial will open with a ceremony on the evening of 15 May 2026 in Upper Mardin. On the same morning, the biennial venues will welcome visitors for preview ahead of the general opening. From 15 May to 21 June, the 7th Mardin Biennial will be open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM, with free admission for all visitors. Please note that Dara Ancient City, as an archaeological site, is closed on Mondays. Access to Deyrulzafaran Monastery is subject to the rules and admission fees set by the monastery administration. The opening program—including performances, workshops, and talks—will take place 15–18 May, while the closing festival, 20–21 June, coincides with the summer solstice.
Artists
(listed alphabetically by surname with birth year and city)
Hamra Abbas (1976, Lahore)
Yasmeen Al Daya (2001, Gaza)
Carlos Aires (1974, Málaga)
Rozelin Akgün (1995, Diyarbakır)
Hüseyin Aksoy (1995, Mardin)
Fares Ayash (1984, Gaza)
Vahap Avşar (1965, Malatya)
Alper Aydın (1989, Ordu)
Mehtap Baydu (Bingöl)
Bi Acayip Hâne (Senem Râbia Sekban & Fatma Alara Akgün, founded 2020)
Mehmet Ali Boran (1981, Mardin)
Hilal Can (1987, Çanakkale)
Cansu Çakar (1988, Istanbul)
Isaac Chong Wai (1990, Guangdong)
Canan Dağdelen (1960, Istanbul)
Özgür Demirci (1981, Konya)
Bawer Doğanay (1990, Mardin)
Jakup Ferri (1981, Pristina)
Alfredo Jaar (1956, Santiago de Chile)
Ekin Kano (1990, Istanbul)
Šejla Kamerić (1976, Sarajevo)
Ali Kaaf (1977, Oran)
Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos (1981, Thessaloniki)
Pelin Kırca (1982, Ankara)
Kite (Dr. Suzanne Kite) (1990, Oglála Lakȟóta)
Hiwa K (1975, Sulaymaniyah)
Gözde İlkin (1981, Istanbul)
Ahmet Doğu İpek (1983, Adıyaman)
Basim Magdy (1977, Asyut)
Maro Michalakakos (1967, Athens)
Małgorzata Mirga-Tas (1978, Zakopane)
Zahit Mungan (1991, Mardin)
Erkan Özgen (1971, Mardin)
Khalil Rabah (1961, Ramallah)
Michael Rakowitz (1973, New York)
Camila Rocha (1977, São Paulo)
Selçuk Artut (1976, Istanbul)
Slavs and Tatars (founded 2006)
Xul Solar (1887–1963, Buenos Aires)
Erinç Seymen (1980, Istanbul)
İrem Tok (1982, Istanbul)
About the Mardin Biennial
Founded in 2010, the Mardin Biennial is an international contemporary art biennial in the historic city of Mardin, Türkiye, and a member of the International Biennial Association (IBA). The biennial explores the intersections of contemporary art with the region’s cultural, historical, and architectural contexts. It is directed by Döne Otyam and Hakan Irmak and organized by the Mardin Cinema Association with support from private sector partners and NGOs.
About the Curator
Çelenk Bafra currently serves as the Artistic Director of Istanbul Modern. Her curatorial practice focuses on research- and production-based group exhibitions, alongside cross-disciplinary public programs and commissions. Previously, Bafra directed the Istanbul Biennial at İKSV, where she played a key role in supporting Turkish artists’ participation in major international biennials. She also founded the SAHA Studio & Curatorial Program and the Turkey Atelier at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. A member of CIMAM and AICA, Bafra has written critical essays and conducted interviews, which have been published in international media, books, and on Açık Radyo since 2016.
Further information
Website: https://www.mardinbienali.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mardinbienali
