The 18th Istanbul Biennial will be organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) in three stages between 2025 and 2027 under the title The Three-Legged Cat, curated by Christine Tohmé. The first leg will run from September 20 to November 23, 2025. The edition will present works by 47 artists from over 30 countries across eight sites within walking distance along the Beyoğlu–Karaköy axis. The program will include performances, screenings, and live events during opening week. Venues include the restored Galata Greek School, refurbished Zihni Han, a repurposed Meclis-i Mebusan Avenue space, Muradiye Han, Galeri 77, a reactivated former ice cream cone factory, and other historic commercial buildings.
Continuing the Biennial's approach of engaging directly with Istanbul through a dispersed model rather than a fixed venue, this edition will use eight sites located within walking distance along the Beyoğlu- Karaköy axis. Over this period, works by 47 artists from more than 30 countries will be presented to the public, accompanied by a program of performances, screenings, and live events during the opening week.
The venues of the 18th Istanbul Biennial trace a path between Beyoğlu and Karaköy, drawing on the layered histories of the city. The Galata Greek School, a long-standing Biennial site, returns after a comprehensive restoration carried out between 2019 and 2024. Built in 1885, the school functioned as an educational institution until its closure in 1988 and now reopens as a cultural venue.
Nearby, Zihni Han has been refurbished to host works for this edition. Rebuilt in 1973, the building once housed the headquarters of a shipping agency in Tophane, a maritime gateway that historically connected Istanbul to the Levant. Along the same axis, the ground floor of building number 35 on Meclis-i Mebusan Avenue has been repurposed as an additional exhibition space.
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