4 October - 8 November 1997
After the success of the 4th Biennial curated by René Block, the 5th International Istanbul Biennial will be an exhilarating art event meeting the increasing expectations of international art circles. Rosa Martinez, independent art critic and curator from Barcelona, has been appointed as the artistic director of the 5th International Istanbul Biennial. Rosa Martinez was responsible for the Art and History activities of La Caixa Foundation from 1978 to 1988 taking care of the organisation of workshops, exhibitions and a variety of productions involving video and audio-visual media. From 1988 to 1992 she was chief curator of the Bienal de Barcelona. and coordinator for the submissions of this city to the Mediterranean Biennials celebrated in Bologna, Thessaloniki, Marseille and Tipasa. In 1992-1993 Rosa Martinez was curator of Sala Montcada, the experimental space for young artists at La Caixa. She was a/so one of the curatorial team responsible for Manifesta I, a new European Biennial, which was held in Rotterdam in June 1996. Currently she is director of "Passion and Ennui in Contemporary Art", a development program for curators organized in Spain by La Caixa.