9th Çanakkale Biennial “Let Time Run its Course” Opens on 4 October

The 9th Çanakkale Biennial is set to take place between 4 October – 11 November 2024, across various locations in Çanakkale. Bringing together artists and art initiatives from Turkey and around the world in each edition, this year’s biennial will focus on the themes of “youth, technology, tradition, and future” under the title Zamana Bırakmak – Let Time Run its Course.

Organised by the Çanakkale Biennial Initiative (CABININ), the 9th edition aims to position Çanakkale as a unique space in the contemporary art and culture ecosystem spanning Europe, Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea. The conceptual frameworks of the biennial merge the cultural, historical, and social values unique to Çanakkale with current global issues, inviting artists and art experts from around the world to engage with this context and create new works and collaborations.

Opening on October 4, 2024, the 9th Çanakkale Biennial will feature a curatorial collaboration between the biennial’s co-director Deniz Erbaş and Ulrika Flink (Sweden), supported by the Culture for Common International Co-Production Fund. Flink will lead a public art project at the Korfmann Library with international artists. Alongside contributions from Turkey, the Thessaloniki Biennale, and artists and institutions from France, Sweden, the UK, Japan, and Italy, the 9th Çanakkale Biennial aims to establish a unique cultural attraction this fall in Çanakkale. It will be curated to prioritize the participation, interaction, and communication of young people across venues in the city center, as well as in Assos, Küçükkuyu, and the Troas region.

Since 2008, the Çanakkale Biennial has been organized by the Çanakkale Biennial Initiative (CABININ), and it has become one of Turkey’s unique international art events. The biennial’s conceptual frameworks focus on the global reflections of Çanakkale’s cultural, historical, and social values. Having hosted over 500 artists so far, the Çanakkale Biennial will once again become a meeting point for art lovers starting October 4. Its conceptual structure aims to integrate contemporary art into citizens’ daily lives and the everyday landscape of the city.