La Biennale di Venezia presents Amfibio Sound Days

From Thursday 2^nd to Sunday 5^th October 2025, at Artİstanbul Feshane in Istanbul (Turkey), La Biennale di Venezia presents Amfibio Sound Days, in collaboration with Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV). This marks the third leg of the Special Project by the Historical Archive of La Biennale di Venezia, titled The Wind Makes the Sky. La Biennale di Venezia in the footsteps of Marco Polo, curated by Luigia Lonardelli. The project retraces the journey of Marco Polo on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of his death (1324–2024).

Following its inauguration in Hangzhou (China) and its subsequent leg in Venice (Italy), the itinerant installation Amfibio - commissioned by La Biennale to Cevdet Erek - continues its journey to Istanbul.

Amfibio is a performative and meeting space, conceived to transform with each iteration — both in its architectural configuration and in its sound system - in dialogue with the languages and rhythms of the places it encounters. This modular and adaptable work is designed to host performances, readings, and discursive programmes. The name Amfibio reflects its dual nature: a creature that can live both in water and on land, while the prefix “amfi” carries the meaning of surrounding or moving through. For its Istanbul leg, the installation will reveal its temporary and mutable character, highlighting both the fragile temporality of the sounds that pass through it and the permeability of the venue that hosts it: The Artİstanbul Feshane, a space which is hovering over the edge of the waters.

For four consecutive days, starting at 6:00 pm, audiences will have the opportunity to attend performances by composers and musicians who will alternate on and around the structure, exploring its sonic possibilities and fostering relational exchanges with listeners and visitors passing through the Feshane garden. The programme features a selection of the latest research from Istanbul’s music scene in a transition from music to sound that, also through the rewriting of traditional repertoire with new collaborations and spatial experimentation, resonates with the urban and sonic landscape that hosts Amfibio.

On Thursday, October 2^nd, the programme will open with an electroacoustic performance by musicians Gökhan Deneç and Fulya Uçanok; on Friday, October 3^rd, the percussion ensemble sa.ne.na will perform a composition by Michael Gordon, inspired by the muted wooden sound of the simandri — ancient Byzantine instruments here transformed into sculptural objects; on Saturday, October 4^th, the MİAM Gendy Ensemble will work with sound through an algorithmic approach in the tradition of Iannis Xenakis; and on Sunday, October 5^th, the series will conclude with a performance by the Peradi Ensemble choir.

Through Amfibio Sound Days, La Biennale and its Historical Archive reaffirm their dedication to promoting dialogue among the arts, cultures, and languages, tracing a path that, in the footsteps of Marco Polo, bridges tradition and contemporaneity, East and West.

“Cevdet Erek’s work Amfibio — explains Curator Luigia Lonardelli — finds a new setting on the shores of the Golden Horn, extending into a space at the boundary between river and sea, within the brackish waters of the artist’s hometown. Completely redesigned for the outdoor spaces of Artİstanbul Feshane, this installation continues to reshape the places it inhabits by adapting through the multiplication of its basic vocabulary and the deconstruction and recomposition of its volumes, discovering new possible configurations. In Istanbul — a port of every historic, literary, and mythical departure — Amfibio stops for a few days to present itself as a place of encounter and sharing. “

“In the course of the installation’s progression from one leg to another, retracing Marco Polo’s journey with The wind makes the sky — continues Lonardelli — there is a discernible tendency to view the completeness of the work as a concept that can be redefined beyond the time and space of the exhibition, enriching itself each time with new meanings, functionalities, and forms. This approach led to the decision to allow Amfibio not only to produce sound on its own but, for the first time in Istanbul, to be actively performed by others.”

During the first leg in Hangzhou – with the exhibition titled The Perfect Path, inaugurated on November 9^th 2024 at the CAA Art Museum and visited by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella – the project concentrated on the latest generation of Chinese artists who are looking for their own personal path. In the second leg in Venice, the exhibition Gulnur Mukazhanova. Memory of Hope, which opened on December 10^th, focused instead on a geographical area traced by a lesser-known journey—that of Niccolò and Matteo, Marco Polo’s father and uncle. Through their early explorations, they conceived the idea of venturing further east, crossing the vast steppes of Kazakhstan to follow one of the countless routes leading to the Orient.

The graphic identity and brand design of this Special Project are created by Headline, Rovereto (Italy). The brand’s design is structured through geometrically tridimensional elements that, in their final configuration, form the symbol of the Dao. This visual choice not merely aesthetic but deeply conceptual: the geometric shapes symbolize the articulated and complex nature of the journey, evoking the idea of forward movement and progress.

La Biennale di Venezia was established in 1895 and is acknowledged today as one of the most prestigious cultural institutions. La Biennale di Venezia stands at the forefront of research and promotion of new contemporary art trends and organizes events in all its specific Departments: Art (1895), Architecture (1980), Cinema (1932), Theatre (1934), Dance (1999), Music (1930) – alongside exhibitions, performing arts, research and training activities. The history of La Biennale di Venezia is documented in the Library at the Central Pavilion in the Giardini and in the Historical Archive in its offices in Marghera, pending its move to the new headquarters at the Arsenale.

Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) is a non-profit cultural institution. Since 1973, the Foundation has continued its efforts to support the advancement of culture and the arts in Istanbul. İKSV regularly organises the Istanbul Festivals of Music, Film, Theatre and Jazz, the Istanbul Biennial, Leyla performance venue Salon İKSV and offers creative events for children and youngsters at İKSV Alt Kat. İKSV prepares the Türkiye Pavilion at the International Art and Architecture Exhibitions of la Biennale Gencer Voice Competition and autumn film week Filmekimi. At the Nejat Eczacıbaşı Building, the Foundation hosts concerts at its di Venezia, conducts studies and education programmes, and drafts reports with the aim of contributing to cultural policy development. The Foundation also supports artistic and cultural production through presenting awards at its festivals, commissioning works, taking part in international and local co-productions, coordinating an artist residency programme at Cité Internationale des Arts in France, the İKSV 50th Anniversary Young Artist Fund, as well as the annual Aydın Gün Encouragement, Talât Sait Halman Translation, and Gülriz Sururi-Engin Cezzar Theatre Encouragement Awards. İKSV is also a member of the General Assembly of the UNESCO Türkiye National Commission and Culture Action Europe (CAE).

Artİstanbul Feshane is a multidisciplinary cultural center founded in 2023 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Located in the historic Eyüpsultan district on the Golden Horn, Artİstanbul Feshane is located in a former 19th-century Ottoman industrial complex, restored and converted into a public hub for contemporary art, culture, and social innovation. At the forefront of promoting accessible art and culture, it hosts temporary exhibitions, international biennials, educational programs, performance activities, and research projects, with an interdisciplinary and inclusive approach.

Special thanks to Brunello Cucinelli, supporter of the project The Wind Makes the Sky. La Biennale di Venezia in the footsteps of Marco Polo.