Biennial Nicosia is preparing to meet art lovers: Open to Artists – Cyprus Newspaper

Biennial Nicosia is preparing to meet art lovers in autumn with its first edition of the Turkish Municipality under the auspices of the Turkish Municipality, which is organized by Arkhe as the main sponsor of the Vedat Kaner Foundation.

The theme of the biennial to be built in the capital between November 7 and 6 December was determined as “compassion/compassion ..

French graphic designer of Bineali Iranian origin will carry out a curemanian and selective committee chaired by Hervé Matine.

Biennial aims to open space for confrontations and rethinking at individual and social levels through art in different spaces of the capital.

Focusing on the theme of “compassion”, applications to Biennial Nicosia, which was called for participation, began.

This call, which is open to local and international artists, invites artists from all disciplines to present their projects for Biennial.

So far, many applications have been made from Cyprus, Türkiye, Italy, France, Brazil and Lebanon.

Applications must be made through www.bienallefkosa.com until August 1, 2025.

Participation Terms and detailed information can be followed on the website of Arkhe and Biennial Nicosia.

Arkhe Director Halil Duranay and Arkhe Coordinator İlm Tunar spoke to Cyprus (TAK) about the first edition of the Nicosia biennial, which is expected to become a meeting point between local and international artists.

« For the first time ‘Nicosia Biennial’ name will be held by the name of an art organization »

Arhke Director Halil Duranay, Northern Cyprus, previously, very important art activities on a large scale, but for the first time using the name « Biennial » using an international urban art organization under this roof, he said.

Duranay stated that it may be ambitious to use the name “biennial, but that they believe that the time for the Biennial project, which has been on the agenda since the foundation of Arkhe last year, said,“ This city has a very important cultural heritage. he said.

Last year, Duranay said that they did the Eclectic Manifest, which is the project of entry into the Nicosia biennial and this is a laboratory experiment of the biennial, and that they had the opportunity to study their capacity as well as their capacity.

Duranay, « Eclectic manifest with different things, how we can apply to different places, we tested ourselves to construct. Eclectic Manifest problems? Of course happened. Of course.

Duranay said that they received some criticisms about not making open calls in the Eclectic Manifest.

Stating that there was a good participation in the Eclectic Manifest, which lasted seven weeks and took place in three main exhibitions, Duranay shared the following information by stating that they compared the participation rate to the Electric Manifest with the starting process of the Istanbul Biennial, which is described as one of the most important biennials in the world.

“The first Istanbul Biennial, which was held between 25 September and 15 November 1987, was held in a total of five places and hosted 70 artists. When the biennial was built, the population of the city was 6,303.200. The population of the city in 2022, the number of officials of the biennial, has been exhibited as the number of officials. We can say that it was an organization. « 

Theme: compassion/compassion

Duranay, Biennial Nicosia’s first edition of the theme of the theme of a comfortable perceived and concern of everyone, based on the idea of ​​ »compassion/compassion » he said.

Stating that compassion is a concept with both personal and collective meanings, Duranay explained the process of the emergence of the theme: “While we made a tour of Nicosia with Hervé Matine, we discussed the biennial process and the problems in the world and our countries.

Duranay explained that the theme of the biennial was shaped by referring to Susan Sondag’s book ‘Looking at the Pain of others’.

“Are we living as a ‘passive’ thing in us while looking at the others? Or does a strong fight of compassion be based on a ‘active’ action? This is the issue that Sondag discussed throughout the book. Therefore, we have come out by referring to our perception of compassion. The world will be exhausted in a high level. We are talking about a global problem, not a problem of Cyprus… ”

Biennial Team… Küratorial and Selective Committee

Arkhe’s Biennial Nicosia’s Vedat Kaner Foundation’s main sponsorship and the support of Design House Stockholm and Poster For Tomorrow.

Biennial team, Biennial Coordinator Halil Durunay, International Operation Officer İlm Tunar, National Operation Officer Bilgen Constitution, Communication Officer Atıf Müezzinler and Design Officer Murat Zengi and Biennial Stage and Performance Coordantoru Handan Ergiydiren’den.

In the curatorial and selective committee, Hervé Matine; Designer Ginette Caron, who lives in Italy of Canadian origin, designer and academician Senih Cavusoglu of Cyprus and the artist and Arkhe Board Member living in Spain will be accompanied by Asli Bolayir.

These four -person committees will evaluate applications and play a role in the selection of artistic projects. In addition, he will serve as a curatorial committee that implements the works after the election of the works.

Places and processes

Stating that the main center of the biennial will be the walls, Duranay said that so far, with the talks with the Cultural Department and Foundations, Nicosia Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), İsmet Vehit Güney Exhibition Hall and Bedesten are determined as some of the places to be used in the biennial. Arasta, Bandabulya iconic areas such as public operations, he added.

Stating that the artists selected at the end of August will be announced, Duranay said that in September, the core team will decide on which field will be exhibited and that all preparations will be completed in October.

Biennial, a project that will include a city

Duranay, in March, artists, art associations, cultural industry for employees in my open form of the participants’ opinions and criticisms about the eclectic manifest, they listen to the idea of ​​the Biennial Nicosia, explaining that they plan to organize new forums in the process of organizing new forums.

Coordinator İlkem Tunar said, “Biennial, a project that will include a city. We want people in the city to be involved. Instead of the language, we want to be an activity that everyone will be involved in the biennial project will be a project that will affect everyone, so we want to adopt this biennial. ”

Effects of Biennial on the City

Duranay emphasized that the biennial is not only a large -scale art activity, it has a significant impact on the economic development of the city and increasing international recognition and said:

”The period in which the biennial took place, the mobility for the urban economy and tourism. Especially in November, street blood pressure will fall gradually, people will start to enter closed areas with the biennial will create a new field of interest. If this process is successful and the second edition of the biennial in 2027 will be realized in the city in November. future. »

Stating that the biennials will create opportunities for the city tradesmen, Duranay said that local producers care about the participation of the process by making special productions by making special productions and said, “For example, a local coffee company can prepare coffee packages produced with a limited number of special designs or produce special cups.

« A biennial that will appeal to people who do not have much contact with art »

Duranay stated that the biennial will be a wider art activity on a wider scale, and that they are working on some strategies to attract the attention of people who do not have much work with art and to include them in the biennial process. He explained that they plan to implement the “Biennial Volunteer” and “Guided Tour Program olan applied in many biennials.

Duranay also mentioned that they think of some special applications in the public spaces in the public spaces, that they are working on some products as souvenir and gifts in the biennial, they aim to add the biennial to their daily lives. Duranay, « Biennial Nicosia, art, we think that people who do not have much contact with art, » he said.