The 10th International İstanbul Biennial closed its doors on November 4. We thank the Biennial sponsor Koç Holding for their kind support and Biennial visitors for making this Biennial another success.

The 10th International Istanbul Biennial took place under the curatorship of Hou Hanru. The Biennial's conceptual framework was "Not Only Possible, But Also Necessary: Optimism in the Age of Global War" and more than 150 projects of 96 international artists and artist groups were exhibited in 5 venues.

Turkey's biggest contemporary art show, the 10th International Istanbul Biennial was visited by 91,000 people and transformed Istanbul into a giant art platform between September 8-November 4.

• The 10th International Istanbul Biennial's sponsor Koç Holding will support 4 more Biennials until 2016.
• Atatürk Cultural Center's venue sponsor was Şekerbank and its "Burn It Or Not?" exhibit consisted of 13 projects. Antrepo No.3's "Entre-polis," "Street Life" and "Dreamhouse" exhibits were sponsored by Baytur, Canan Pak and Koçtaş and contained works by 43 artists and artist groups.
• "World Factory" exhibit venue was the İMÇ blocks. Stores and common areas within İMÇ hosted 27 Biennial projects for the first time. Biennial's "Workshop and Education Partner" santralistanbul and Kadıköy Halk Eğitim Merkezi accommodated special projects, panel discussions and film screenings.
• With the support of Koç Holding, university students visited the 10th International Istanbul Biennial for free. 18,000 students enrolled in universities in and around Istanbul took advantage of this generous opportunity.
• Koç Holding sponsored another educational event within the Biennial. Pace Art Center's children's art workshops welcomed a total of more than 800 entusiastic children and adolescents twice a week at Antrepo No.3 for the duration of the Biennial. 
• Highest contributing institutions among the 46 international organizations that helped make the 10th International Istanbul Biennial possible were The Mondriaan Foundation, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs- US Department of State, US Consulate in İstanbul, American Center Foundation, European Commission Turkish Delegation, SEACEX, ifa, British Council, Culturesfrance, Municipality of Paris and The French Cultural Center in İstanbul.
• Garanti Bankası, Yapı Kredi Worldcard, Hürriyet Gazetesi, Sema-Barbaros Çağa, Akbank, Asya Nakliyat, Finans Sigorta, Fred Perry's representative in Turkey Bilsar, Garanti Emeklilik and Hayat, Hedef Alliance, Türk Henkel, Siemens Sanat, TAV Havalimanları Holding, TİM Group, Yüzler Sesler and Mudo sponsored some artists' projects as their "Special Project Sponsors." The 10th International Istanbul Biennial's "Audiovisual Systems Sponsor" was Arçelik.
• In addition to these organizations, 34 leading corporations in İstanbul supportedthe 10th International Istanbul Biennial.
• A cultural act spread throughout the city as part of the Biennial's "Night Programme" with support from the European Commission Turkish Delegation and under the "Special Project Sponsorship" of Yapı Kredi Worldcard. For "nightcomers," a team of young curators from İstanbul collected approximately 100 original works of video and organised free public screenings in 25 different locations in the city.
• Close to 600 international members of the press and more than 3000 international curators, collectors and directors of museums and galleries visited the 10th International Istanbul Biennial. The Biennial hosted approximately 6000 international visitors.

Almost 600 members of the press from 35 countries visited the 10th International Istanbul Biennial and covered the Biennial in the foreign press.

• Foreign press members from such well-known international newspapers as New York Times (USA), Wall Street Journal (USA), La Repubblica (Italy), Frankfurter Allgemeine (Germany), Le Monde (France), El Pais (Spain) Il Manifesto (Italy), Volkskrant (The Netherlands), Südedeutsche Zeitung (Germany), El Mundo (Spain), Die Tageszeitung (Germany) were in Istanbul to visit the Biennial.
  
• Art critics from such renowned art magazines as Art in America (USA), Art Forum (USA), Art Press (France), Art Forum (USA), Frieze (UK), The New Yorker (USA), Art (Germany), L'Hebdo (Switzerland), Art Monthly (UK), Tema Celeste (Italy), Spike (Austria), Art Asia Pacific (USA), Bidoun (USA), Art News (UK) wrote about the 10th International Istanbul Biennial.
• International TV channels ARTE (France), RAI (Italy), Deutsche Welle (Germany), ERT (Greece), SVT (Sweden) and TVP (Poland) produced shows about the 10th International Istanbul Biennial.
• In addition, directors of Documenta XII, Sydney, Venice and San Paulo Biennials and members of the board of directors, curators and collectors from such world-renowned museums as MOMA/Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA), Tate Modern (UK), Centre Georges Pompidou (France), Chicago Modern Art Museum (USA), Carnegie Museum of Art (USA), Athens Modern Art Museum (Greece) took the opportunity to study the works closely and meet Turkish artists.                               

The 11th International Istanbul Biennial will take place in Autumn 2009, once again under the sponsorship of Koç Holding.