A Kiss on the Eye
Curated by Başak Doğa Temur, The Türkiye Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Venice.
May - November 2026.
"A Kiss on the Eyes" is the title of Nilbar Güreş’s exhibition of new works, curated by Başak Doğa Temür, to be presented at the Türkiye Pavilion of the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. The exhibition will be on view from 9 May to 15 November 2026. The Türkiye Pavilion will open on 6 May at 15.00 at the Arsenale, Sale d’Armi, during the preview days.
Coordinated by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), the Türkiye Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia will host an exhibition by Nilbar Güreş, renowned for her poetic, critical, and witty engagement with cultural symbols, social inequalities, and issues of identity across diverse media. The exhibition will be curated by Başak Doğa Temür and will be held between 9 May and 22 November 2026.
The Advisory Board for the Türkiye Pavilion in 2026 includes art historian and academic Dr. Ceren Özpınar; curator, writer, and academic Chus Martínez; curator Öykü Özsoy Sağnak; and curator and writer Ulya Soley. The board unanimously suggested Nilbar Güreş as an outstanding voice to represent Türkiye at the upcoming Biennale and shared the following statement:
‘Her multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, installation, painting, photography, textiles, video, and performance, consistently addressing questions of gender, identity, and cultural memory with intelligence, empathy, sensitivity, and striking visual force. Güreş’s practice is eloquent both in creating a poetic universe, and in staying faithful to a rigorous narrative that challenges dominant perspectives and gives visibility to marginalised communities, remaining deeply rooted in Türkiye’s complex social fabric.
For the 2026 Biennale, Koyo Kouoh chose the motto – In Minor Keys – as its theme. The panel is convinced that the work of Nilbar Güreş embodies and embraces the values of resilience and resistance, and the spaces where quieter, more delicate expressive registers can disrupt current dominant narratives. Her work’s international resonance, together with her profound artistic vocabulary, makes her an exceptional choice to represent Türkiye at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.’
