The 18th Istanbul Biennial, themed “Three-Legged Cat”, is rewriting not only the route of contemporary art but also the trajectory of urban tourism. With free admission, venues planned within walking distance, and a curatorial design that fuses the city’s historic fabric with art, Istanbul positions itself among the leading capitals of cultural tourism.

The Biennial Begins, the City Opens to Art!

Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), the 18th Istanbul Biennial runs from September 20 to November 23, 2025. Under the title “Three-Legged Cat”, exhibitions can be visited free of charge across eight venues along the Beyoğlu–Karaköy axis. This year, the biennial breaks away from the classical gallery model by bringing artworks into caravanserais, passages, and industrial heritage spaces.

Through this curatorial lens, the memory of space becomes visible, turning Istanbul into not the object but the active subject of an exhibition strategy.

Walkable Tourism Through Art

One of the biennial’s most distinctive features is its walkable design. Exhibition spaces are located within walking distance of one another, allowing visitors to discover Istanbul’s streets, hidden courtyards, inns, and historic buildings as they move from one venue to the next. This approach not only supports sustainable tourism but also enhances the slow travel experience.

In the Istanbul Biennial, art adds depth to tourism, while tourism ensures the global circulation and visibility of art.

Opportunities for Local Businesses

Cafés, bookstores, boutique hotels, and galleries located along the biennial route are already experiencing higher visitor traffic. According to cultural tourism experts, the biennial boosts not only the city’s art scene but also its economic vitality. Karaköy’s gastronomy venues and Beyoğlu’s boutique hotels have quickly become the top choices for biennial visitors.

By doing so, the biennial transforms tourism from a superficial circulation into an experiential journey through the city’s political and cultural layers.

The Curator’s Vision: Thinking the City Through Art

Curator Christine Tohmé’s three-year model transforms Istanbul from a “temporary exhibition city” into a sustained cultural platform. This approach, echoing Nicolas Bourriaud’s notion of relational aesthetics, weaves the rhythms of daily life into the language of artistic display.

The “Three-Legged Cat” metaphor highlights the oscillation between fragility and resilience — a theme that resonates not only with art but also with the tourists experiencing Istanbul. In line with Michel Foucault’s concept of heterotopia, the biennial reimagines the city as a multilayered experiential space: passages, inns, and streets become openings where visitors embark on both visual and intellectual journeys.

Here, tourism is not mere consumption; it is the act of reading, rewriting, and experiencing the city’s many layers.

A New Cultural Model for Tourism

Experts argue that the format of the Istanbul Biennial directly responds to global tourism trends:

• Free admission fosters a more inclusive visitor profile.
• The biennial’s extended program encourages international tourists to extend their stays.
• Its art routes transcend traditional museum visits, positioning travel as an experience-led journey.

In this respect, Istanbul now stands in the same league as cultural destinations like Venice and Documenta.

The biennial removes the divide between art and tourism, situating them on the same curatorial stage.

The Shared Manifesto of Art and Tourism

The Istanbul Biennial offers not only art enthusiasts but also tourism professionals a fresh vision: a sustainable and inclusive model where art and urban experience converge. Strolling through the streets and stepping into an exhibition, sipping coffee in the courtyard of a historic inn, and ending the evening with a concert in Galata… The biennial transforms Istanbul into a living museum, a city to be experienced in its entirety.