From the point of view of both the public and the professionals in the art field following the biennials it will be most interesting to observe the differences and similarities between the events held this year and to discern the distinct physiognomy of the 5th Istnbul Biennial from them as well as from its previous editions. As the notion of centre and periphery has lost significance, the importance of place and identity, especially as interpreted in art, has acquired new emphasis. These tendencies are demonstrated in the themes chosen for the events: "Future, Present, Past" (Venice), "Unmapping the Earth" (Kwangju), "Trade Routes: History and Geography" (Johannesburg), "El Individuo y Su Memoria" (Havana), "The Other"(Lyon). The main theme of the 5th Istanbul Biennial, "On Life, Beauty, Translations and Other Difficulties", deals with the issues of otherness, displacement, and identity. According to Rosa Martinez "the artwork may be seen as a terminal, a point of arrival and departure, a space where one can play with signs generated by other fields of knowledge..."

In these respects, Rosa Martinez' concept evolves from and engages in dialogue with that of the 4th Istanbul Biennial entitled "Orient/ation. The Visions of Art in a Paradoxical World". The conceptual framework presented by Martinez indicates that the art and the artwork are points of both mediating and orienting which transcend geographical boundaries. The 4th Istanbul Biennial, curated by René Block, constitutes a turning point in the history of the Istanbul Biennial: the principle of dividing the exhibition into national pavilions was replaced by a non-national one in which one artistic director selects the artists and the artworks in view of the theme; 119 artists participated; the exhibition was held in three different locations (Antrepo I, the Yerebatan Cistern, and the early Christian Church Hagia Eireni), with the intent to accentuate the semantics of the place in relation to the artwork presented.

Evidently, the 4th Istanbul Biennial serves as a base for the 5th Istanbul Biennial which might create an impression of continuity and a different appearance at the same time. By using the city’s main gates the curator aims at staging the event in this city within a city. The main section of the exhibition is presented at the Imperial Mint inside the Topaki Palace gardens. The other parts of the exhibition will be spread around the city: the Yerebatan Cistern, the Women’s Library and Information centre, as well as other sites in which artists have created artworks in situ. Rosa Martinez points out that the biennial is conceived as both an exhibition and a promenade; this characteristic recalls Skulptur Projekte in Münster.

Rosa Martinez preserves René Block’s curatorial approach developing her concept in a similar direction while adding a semiotic dimension to it by taking a perspective on art as language. As the title "On Life, Beauty, Translations and Other Difficulties" suggests, the exhibition represents a view of artistic creation as midwifery between life and culture, as well as between art, life and different fields of knowledge, such as science, technology, politics and philosophy.

The event includes in its scope a series of panel disussions with the following topics: The Politics of Beauty; On Love, Friendship and the Other Possibilities; Critique and Defense of Models of Biennials & Other Mega Exhibitions; Intertextuality and Displacement in Contemporary Metropolis. According to Rosa Martinez, the 5th Istanbul Biennial is an "encounter, symposium, workshop - more of an all-embracing experience than just an exhibition." To a certain extent, these activities link the 5th Istanbul Biennial to Documenta’s 100 days/100 guests and Catherine David’s idea of an event which is a "manifestation culturelle" rather than only an exhibition.

Although in an interview in Flash Art (May/June 1997) Martinez says that the exhibition will show the heterogeneity in media and styles which exists in contemporary art, the Internet site does not present Web art, whereas Documenta X and le 4e Biennale de Lyon showcased Web art. The 5th Istanbul Biennial Web site provides scarce information on the biennial and its conceptual framework. Also, one connot find any opinions or expectations expressed on the Internet, even by a group such as Universe in Universes which is concerned with the biennials in Havana and Johannesburg, among others, but not with the Istanbul Biennial.

On the other hand, the 4th Istanbul Biennial, which had a Web site with broad spectrum of information and artists’ statements, received extensive media coverage; an article on this biennial is still available on the Internet. Now that the 5th Istanbul Biennial has started (its actual presentation might more clearly illustrate its alluring ideas) and as a consequence receive more visibility, as well as a more vivid response: it could provoke the reaction of the interested public and the professionals in the field, while attracting the attention of the media. However, the present situation raises the following question: what are the factors that make a major international event in contemporary art known and memorable today in the state of globalization which erases the differences between centre and periphery?

Rossitza Daskalova

• Elija-Liisa Ahtila. Born in Hameenlinna, Finland, 1959. Lives in Helsinki.
• Anna Laura Alaez. Born in Bilbao, Spain, 1964. Lives in Madrid.
• Helena Almeida. Born in Lisbon, Protugal, 1934. Lives in Lisbon.
• Halil Altindere. Born in Sürgücü, Mardin, Turkey, 1971. Lives in Istanbul and Mersin.
• Janine Antoni. Born in Freeport, Bahama, 1964. Lives in New York.
• Kutulug Ataman. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, 1962. Lives in New York and Istanbul.
• Vahap Avsar. Born in Arpayazi, Turkey, 1965. Lives in New York.
• Sükran Aziz. Born in Urfa, Turkey, 1949. Lives in New York.
• Semiha Berkskoy. Born in Çengelköy, Istanbul, Turkey, 1910. Lives in Istanbul.
• Meta Isaeus-Berlin. Born in Stockholm, Sweden, 1963. Lives in Stockholm.
• Eva Eszter Bodnar. Born in Budapest, Hungary, 1952. Lives in Vienna, Austria.
• Oscar Boni. Born in Posadas, Argentina, 1941. Lives in Buenos Aires.
• Louise Bourgeois. Born in Paris, France, 1911. Lives in New York.
• Rebecca Bournigault. Born in Colmar, France, 1970. Lives in Paris.
• Daniele Buetti. Born in Fribourg, Switzerland, 1956. Lives in Zürich and Berlin.
• Patrick van Caeckenbergh. Born in Aalst, Belgium, 1960. Lives in Sint-Komelis-Horebeke.
• Maurizio Cattelan. Born in Padova, Italy, 1960. Lives in Milan and New York.
• Johan Creten. Born in Sin-Truiden, Belgium, 1963. Lives in Paris and New York.
• Dorothy Cross. Born in Cork, Ireland, 1956. Lives in Dublin.
• Yael Davids. Born in Jerusalem, Israel, 1968. Lives in Amsterdam, Holland.
• Diller+Scofidio. Born in Lodz, Poland, 1954. Lives in New York.
• Jimmie Durham. Born in Washington, Arkansas, USA, 1940. Lives in Marseille.
• Olafur Eliasson. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, 1967. Lives in Berlin, Germany.
• Tracey Emin. Born in London, England, 1963. Lives in London.
• Türkan Erdem. Born in Cürek, Turkey, 1960. Lives in Ankara.
• Chohreh Feyzdjou. Born in Tehran, Iran, 1955. Died in Paris, 1996.
• Michel François. Born in Belgium. Lives in Brussels.
• Simyrn Gill. Born in Singapore, 1959. Lives in Sydney, Australia.
• Leszek Golec-Tatiana Czekalska. Born in Swiebodzice, Poland, 1959. Lives in Topolowa, Poland.
• Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Born in Cuba, 1957. Died in 1995.
• Joseph Grigely. Born in Massachusetts, USA, 1956. Lives in New Jersey and Michigan.
• Yolanda Gutiérrez. Born in Mexico City, 1970. Lives in Quintana Roo, Mexico.
• Federico Guzman. Born in Sevilla, Spain, 1964. Lives in Sevilla.
• Carl Michael von Hausswolff. Born in Linkoping, Sweden, 1966. Lives in Stockholm.
• Irit Hemmo. Born in Jerusalem, Israel, 1961. Lives in Tel Aviv.
• Juan Fernando Herran. Born in Bogota, Colombia, 1963. Lives inBogota.
• Richard Hoeck. Born in Hall i, Tirol, 1965. Lives in New York and Vienna.
• Heimo Zobernig. Born in Mouthen, Austria, 1958. Lives in Vienna.
• Carsten Höller. Born in Brussels, Belgium, 1961. Lives in Cologne, Germany.
• IRWIN. Founded in 1963. Duöan Mandic (Ljubljana, 1954), Miran Mohar (Novo Mesto, 1958), Andrei Savski (Ljubljana, 1961), Roman Uranjek (Trbovje, 1961), Borut Vogelnik (kranj, 1959).
• Bedi Ibrahim. Born in Skopje, Macedonia, 1959. Lives in Skopje.
• Ann Veronika Janssens. Born in Folkstone, England, 1956. Lives in Brussels.
• Soo-Ja Kim. Born in Taegu, Korea, 1957. Lives in Seoul.
• Sophia Kosmaoglou. Born in Johnnesburg, South Africa, 1970. Lives in Athens, Greece.
• Oleg Kulik. Born in Kiev, USSR, 1961. Lives in Moscow, Russian Federation.
• KÜLTÜR. Ursula Bieman (Zurich, 1955), Yasemin Baydar Demir (Istanbul, 1972), Seyma Reisoglu Nalça (Istanbul, 1959), Meral Özbek (Malatya, 1954), Z. Tül Akbal Sualp (Istanbul, 1960).
• Antal Lakner. Born in Budapest, Hungary, 1966. Lives in Hungary.
• Moshekwa Langa. Born in Bakenberg, South Africa, 1975. Lives in Amsterdam.
• Leonilson. Born in Fortelaza, Brazil, 1957. Died in Sao Paolo, 1993.
• Anna Lindal. Born in Vioidal, Iceland, 1957. Lives in Iceland.
• Anne Lislegaard. Lives in New York and in Copenhagen.
• Lani Maestro. Born in Manila, Philippines, 1957. Lives in Montreal, Canada.
• Elahe Massumi. Born in Esfahan, Iran, 1961. Lives in Brooklyn, New York.
• Cristina Mateus. Born in Oporto, Portugal, 1968. Lives in Oporto.
• Matthew McCaslin. Born in New York, 1957. Lives in Brooklyn, New York.
• Ana Mandieta. Born in Havana, Cuba, 1948. Died in New York, 1985.
• Antoni Miralda. Born in Terrasa, Barcelona, Spain, 1942. Lives in Miami, USA and Barcelona.
• Sükran Moral. Born in Samsun, Turkey, 1962. Lives in Rome, Italy.
• Mariko Mori. Born in Tokyo, Japan, 1967. Lives in New York.
• Nikos Navridis. Born in Athens, Greece, 1958. Lives in Athens.
• Shirin Neshat. Born in Qazvin, Iran, 1957. Lives in New York.
• Rivane Neuenschwander. Born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 1967. Lives in London, England.
• Roberto Obregon. Born in Barabquilla, Colombia, 1946. Lives in Venezuela.
• Orlan. Born in Saint-Etienne Loire, France, 1947. Lives in Paris, France.
• Ebru Özseçen. Born in Izmir, Turkey, 1971. Lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• Marta Maria Pérez Bravo. Born in Havana, Cuba 1959. Lives in N.J., Mexico.
• Manuel Pina. Born in Havana, Cuba, 1958. Lives in Havana.
• Liza May Post. Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1965. Lives in New York.
• Cai Guo-Qiang. Born in Quanzhou City, Fujian, China, 1957. Lives in New York.
• Egle Rakauskaite. Born in Vilnius, Lituania, 1967. Lives in Vilnius.
• Flavia Ribeiro. Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1954. Lives in Sao Paulo.
• Pipilotti Rist. Born in Rhental, Switzerland, 1962. Lives in Zurich.
• Chryssa Romanos. Born in Athens, Greece, 1931. Lives in Athens.
• Lotty Rosenfeld. Born in Santiago, Chile, 1943. Lives in Santiago.
• Beverly Semmes. Born in Washington, DC. Lives in New York.
• Sense:less. Knut Mork (Oslo, 1977), Kate Pendry (Oslo, 1966), Stahl Stenslie (Oslo, 1965), Marius Watz (Oslo, 1974).
• Jana Sterbak. Born in Prague, 1955. Lives in Montreal, Canada and in Castro Urdiales, Spain.
• Eve Sussman. Born in London, England, 1961. Lives in New York.
• Bülent Sangar. Born in Eski¸sehir, Turkey, 1965. Lives in Istanbul.
• Sam Taylor-Wood. Born in London, England, 1967. Lives in London.
• Lin Tian-Miao. Born in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, P.R. China, 1961. Lives in Beijing and New York.
• Grazia Toderi. Born in Padova, Italy, 1963. Lives in Milan.
• Eulàlia Valldosera. Born in Barcelona, Spain, 1963. Lives in Barcelona.
• Laura Vickerson. Born in Alberta, Canada. Lives in Calgary, Canada.
• Mark Wallinger. Born in Chigwell, England, 1959. Lives in London.
• Martin Weber. Born in Santiago, Chile, 1968. Lives in Buenos Aires.
• Maaria Wirkkala. Born in Helsinki, Finland, 1954. Lives in Espoo, Finland.

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, The Canada Concil for the Arts, Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, The Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Alberta College of Art and Design.
Emeren Garcia, director of the Department of Travelling Exhibitions at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, is the coordinator who chose the three Canadian artists participating in the 5th Istanbul Biennial: Lani Maestro, Jana Sterbak and Laura Vickerson.

Orlan: Here is My Body, Here is My Solfware
PANELISTS:
Ali Akay, sociologist, art critic, Turkey
Bernard Marcadé, art critic, curator, France
Dr. Osman Oymak, plastic surgeon,Turkey
Ahmet Soysa, philosopher, Turkey
Prof. Dr. Sahika Yüksel, psychiatrist, Turkey

The Politcs of Beauty
MODERATOR:
Dr. Mahmut Mutman, Assoc. prof., Bilkent University, Dept. of Graphic Design, Turkey
PANELISTS:
Dan Cameron, art critic, US
Isabel Carlos, sub-director, Instituto de Arte Contemporanea, Lisbonne, Portugal
Jimmie Durham, artist, US
Robert Fleck, art critic, art historian, curator, Vienna, Austria
Gill Hedley, director, Contemrpoary Art Society, London, Great Britain
Halil Nalçaoglu, Ankara University, Communications, Turkey

Critique and Defense of Models of Biennials and Other Mega Exhibitions
MODERATOR:
Ali Akay, sociologist, art critic, Turkey
PANELISTS:
Llilian Llanes Godoy, director, Wifredo Lam Center, La Habana, Cuba
Claude Gosselin, director, Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal, Canada
Kaspar König, art critic, curator, Germany
Rex Moser, United States Information Agency, ABD, US
Barbara Vanderlinden, art critic, curator, Belgium

Intertextuality and Displacement in Contemporary Metropolis
MODERATOR:
Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin, artist, art criti, Turkey
PANELISTS:
Ute Meta Bauer, curator, director, Institute of Cotnemporay Arts, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, Austria
Ursula Biemann, artist, Switzerland
Borut Vogelnik - IRWIN, artist, Slovenia
Ferda Keskin, Bogaziçi University, Departement of philosophy, Turkey
Suzana Milevska, art critic, curator, The City Museum of Skopje, Macedonia