BIENALSUR at Istanbul Modern

December 23 and 31, 2025 & January 7 and 14, 2026

İstanbul Modern Mezanine Foyer

In 2025, Istanbul Modern launches a new partnership with BIENALSUR. With this collaboration, the museum expands its long-standing global initiatives – such as Artists’ Film International – and continues to integrate moving-image works into different spaces throughout the building.

As part of this program, visitors can watch “Mysteries” (2017), a video commissioned by BIENALSUR in 2017 from Christian Boltanski (1944–2021), on the museum’s mezzanine floor. In this work, Boltanski installed three gigantic metal trumpets on a remote and windswept shoreline near Bahía Bustamante in Chubut Province, Patagonia, facing the ocean. In the video “Mysteries”, these trumpets, set into motion by the wind, reproduce the ancient song of whales. Through this installation, the artist reflects on the power and persistence of nature, independent of human intervention. With real-time sound and imagery, “Mysteries” brings the spirit of Argentina’s coastline to the shores of the Bosphorus.

About Christian Boltanski

Born in Paris, where he lived for most of his life, Christian Boltanski (1944–2021) remains one of the most distinctive figures of conceptual art. Focusing on what is unseen, his works often employ photographs, everyday objects, and archival materials as silent witnesses that render the overlooked visible. Through pieces that give form to what has been ignored, forgotten, or lost, Boltanski brings together personal stories and collective history, carrying them into the present.

About BIENALSUR

Held since 2017, BIENALSUR is a non-commercial initiative promoted by the National University of Tres de Febrero (UNTREF), an Argentine public university. Concentrating on artistic production from underrepresented geographies in the contemporary art world, the biennial presents programs in museums, cultural institutions, and public spaces across various cities worldwide. By prioritizing cultural diversity, social interaction, and universal dialogue through art, BIENALSUR distinguishes itself from other art events through its participatory, multi-centered structure.

Image:
Christian Boltanski, Mysteries, 2017