The curator of the 2013 Istanbul Biennial, Fulya Erdemci, has outlined her vision for the event, which will be staged across the city. Entitled Mom am I barbarian? the biennial will explore the notion of the public domain as a political forum, touching on notions of democracy, civilisation, barbarity and social engagement.

With Andrea Phillips, a reader in fine art at Goldsmiths College Gallery, Erdemci is also running a public programme called Public Alchemy in the lead up to the biennial. The first session, Making the City Public, runs from 8-10 February, to be followed by others including Public Address (22-23 March), Becoming Public Subjects (14-15 September) and Future Publics/New Collectives (1-2 November).