Midas-Touch 2025
Mahalla Festival – Sept 13 – Sept 28, 2025
In the frame of parallel events of the 18th Istanbul Art Biennial, Diyalog was organizing the Mahalla Festival 2025 under the title Midas-Touch between Sept 13 and Sept 28 2025 at the Büyük Valide Han in Istanbul.
Under the title Midas-Touch, the Mahalla Festival was calling for a confrontation with the dystopian reality of a growth-based global economy that ignores the threats of climate change, increasing international armed conflicts and forced migration.
Mahalla Midas-Touch was dedicated to give a voice to the vulnerable, excluded, unseen and to revert vulnerability into strength. Questioning narratives appears through individual, collaborative and corresponding artistic works in a historical Set-up in Istanbul inviting for site-specific interventions.
Social and geographical boundaries, gender roles, and the exploiting of nature create dystopian environments that call for rethinking. Reflecting diverse narrative styles or inventing fresh tales was one of the primary objectives. The artists were free to use any artistic form or style. Innovative interpretations of the leitmotif were appreciated.
Preliminary Artist List
- Tbel Abuseridze, GE
- Mathilde Melek An, FR/TR
- Vildan Akbay, TR
- Lida Hamid, AF
- Ieva Kotryna, LT
- Uranus Musamen, AF
- Somaia Ramish, NL/AF
- Naser Sahebzada, AF
- Katharina Swoboda, AT
- Fatima Wojohat, US/AF
Supported by IMS – International Media Support – Copenhagen
In cooperation with the MagiC Carpets Platform, a Creative Europe Program of the European Union.
In cooperation with the Goethe-Insitut Istanbul.
