With planning for the 8th Biennial bookended by the 9/11 bombing of the World Trade Center and the beginning of the Iraq War, the exhibition’s theme — poetic justice — was intentionally directed toward questions of international law and justice, but also put poetic expression at the forefront of the selection of artists. Included among the venues were the Haghia Sofia Museum, Antrepo No. 4, Tophane-i Amire Center, and Yerebatan Cistern, as well as a number of unexpected public sites. Installation design by Marcos Corrales Lantero.

 

The 8th Istanbul Biennial had two separate publications. The first volume, published for the opening, had 296 pages, with essays by Dan Cameron, Trenton Doyle Hancock, and Kendell Geers, and an original text composed by Orhan Pamuk. The 160-page second volume, published in January 2004, contained color documentation of all works and a second text by Dan Cameron.