4th International Istanbul Biennial: ORIENT/ATIONThe Vision of Art in a Paradoxical World

The end of the 20th century is a time of movable juxtapositions : Nothing remains as it is (Nichts bleibt wie es ist). The margins move towards the centre and the old-established frontiers shift to the periphery. Fixed systems dissolve in drifting passages. In the absence of social justice, no peaceful coexistence and none of the political utopias have succeeded against the "terror of realisation" (Heiner Müller).

The common strategies of politics and ideology have failed -creating a void, an ideal situation for fanatics of creed and color and any ambition. At the same time, art and artists have decolonized from being utilised through ideologies. They define their field using forms, materials, contents and contexts now according to the dictates of their own responsibility, language and mythology. The 4th International Istanbul Biennial took the challenge to locate the common ground of artists from all over the world to create an open atmosphere of visual arguments and discussions.