Hope

This year, the Istanbul Children and Youth Art Biennial invites us, from the perspective of technology and art, to HOPE for the present as it has grown out of the past, and for the near future as seen from the present.

Through the different branches of art, the biennial sets out to imagine a future better than our current reality and to find inspiration for ideas that are on the verge of turning our dreams into reality.

The future we hope for, which we thought was far away, is already part of our lives: “Exactly Today, Tomorrow at the Latest”!

The biennial approaches hope through several sub-themes, asking different questions in each section and looking for the answers from the perspective of children and young people. By involving them in the “discovery of hope”, it aims to shape the horizon of the future through their fresh outlooks and untapped potential. Thanks to their unique insights, hope moves to the centre of a deeper understanding that will shape our present and our future. In this way, conventional approaches to the challenges we face as a society give way to the fresh ideas and unifying solutions of a new generation that can make a difference.

Guided by the question “Can you create a work of art that represents a hopeful future?”, we will look for answers “and perhaps solutions, in works of art that represent a hopeful future” to the climate crisis and ecological problems that worry us more about our world every day; to the threat of scarcity and the problem of hunger; to the cultural heritage and vast history we try to protect while building the future; to what we invent while dreaming of tomorrow’s hope; and to the wars fought amid all these hopes.

In the light of hope, the biennial will once again host paintings, sculptures, photographs and stage performances, while also looking forward to embracing works from fields added this year, such as artificial intelligence and digital arts.

We invite all our participants and visitors to meet around hope, the focal point of this year’s biennial.

An Analogue and Digital Look at Hope (Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics and Digital Technologies)

• Seeking an answer to the question “Can you create a work of art that represents a hopeful future?”, this section brings together interactive artworks, works that engage with social media and other digital content such as YouTube videos.

Virtual Reality and Hope (Virtual Hope)

• Covers online works, NFTs and artworks made with technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality within the theme of hope.
• Hope through virtual and augmented reality: experiences designed to inspire hope and positivity using virtual and augmented reality technologies.

Artificial Intelligence and Hope (Artificial Hope)

Use artificial intelligence to create artworks that give hope!

This section covers works made with everyday AI applications such as DALL-E and Midjourney.

Hope generated by artificial intelligence (AI): in the context of technology and AI, “artificial hope” explores themes such as hope, optimism, the future, discovery and invention as generated by AI systems.

To inspire children and young people, this section asks:

• What does hope mean to you? Can you create a visual representation of hope using art materials?

Move for Hope

• Includes works that explore the relationship between the body and technology through music and dance. It encourages children and young people interested in performance and the performing arts to dance and move for hope.

Create a Hope

Covers maker projects associated with the do-it-yourself movement. This section looks for answers to the following questions:

• How can art be used to foster a sense of hope for the future of our planet?
• Can you think of an environmentally friendly art project that will inspire hope and encourage positive change?
• How can art be used to instil hope in others?

Esra Özkan, Curator, September 2023