Traces of Theodor W. Adorno's culture industry theory in the venues of the 9th Istanbul Biennial

Art, from the moment it emerged and on, has been a social phenomenon; whether it is religious, political, military or economic, it always is in a strong connection with the society and is an extent and a reflection of it. At the same time, those social factors has always effected art's content and appearance. Today, it's a quite easy and common practice to call pre-historic art as ''religion art'' or ''ritual art'', but there's not that of a big difference between a mother of goddess figurine and an altarpiece depicting Virgin Mary and Christ Child, they just stand for two distinct things serving up different ideas yet having the same substance as art. Art is all the same substantively, even if it changes accordingly to social factors. The real change in art comes with the breaking of that substance or to get rid of it all together. This immense change in art is the commodification (or reification) and thus the creation of the culture industry. The German philosopher Theodor W. Adorno laid out the theory of ''Culture Industry'' with that economical commodification idea in its foundation. Biennials have an essential importance in the art world of culture industry as the most significant self-manifestation places of contemporary art. Regardless of their roots that go back to the 19th century, a biennial was we know it today has become a practice of the post-war world and grew into being the hub of contemporary art scene. In our study, the venues of the 9th Istanbul Biennial are examined in the context of mass culture's relation to a city, to economy, to real estate and to capital owners and through the idea of economic reification which is the foundation of Theodor W. Adorno's theory of ''Culture Industry'', with special aim with the aim of unveiling the traces of Adorno's theory. The survival of big-budget art organizations such as Istanbul Biennial depend on the financers' wish to use their financial powers as a biennial sponsor. This, naturally, creates a situation in which the sponsors of the Istanbul Biennial are not able to overlook due to their commercial demands and image. If the sponsors are left unsatisfied, they can put his big budget art organization to in a financial stringency. Theodor W. Adorno, in his culture industry theory, claims that this very circumstance causes mass culture to economically reify. The survival of big-budget art organizations such as Istanbul Biennial depend on the financers' wish to use their financial powers as a biennial sponsor. This, naturally, creates a situation in which the sponsors of the Istanbul Biennial are not able to overlook due to their commercial demands and image. If the sponsors are left unsatisfied, they can put his big budget art organization to in a financial stringency. Theodor W. Adorno, in his culture industry theory, claims that this very circumstance causes mass culture to economically reify. After discussing the concept of biennial and the Istanbul Biennial in a general framework in the first chapter, the ''Culture Industry'' theory of Theodor W. Adorno is examined in the second chapter. In the last chapter, traces the culture industry theory of Adorno is followed in the 9th Istanbul Biennial in the context of locations, economy and capital.