Hosted by the Mardin Cinema Association and directed by Döne Otyam and Hakan Irmak, the Mardin Biennial is celebrating its 15th anniversary with the support of the private sector and art institutions. The 7th edition of the Mardin Biennial, which holds an important position in the international contemporary art world, will meet art lovers in May 2026.

The curatorship of the 7th Mardin Biennial will be undertaken by Çelenk Bafra, artistic director of Istanbul Modern, who has worked with museums and art institutions in Turkey and Europe for many years. The Biennial's Advisory Board includes prominent figures from the worlds of art and academia: Esra Aliçavuşoğlu, Fırat Arapoğlu, Mehmet Said Aydın, Evin Sevgi Baran, and Paolo Colombo.

Çelenk Bafra, who has shaped her curatorial practice around production and research-focused group exhibitions, managed the participation of artists from Turkey in prestigious international events such as the Venice Biennale, Athens, Havana, Lyon, and Sao Paulo Biennials during her tenure as director of the Istanbul Biennial. During her tenure at IKSV and SAHA, she developed support programs for artists and curators, establishing and managing the SAHA Studio and the Turkey Studio at the Cité des Arts in Paris. She served on the boards of the Museum of Mediterranean and European Civilizations (MuCEM) in Marseille, France, and AICA Turkey, at the invitation of the French Ministry of Culture.

Çelenk Bafra's connection with Mardin began in 2005 with a research visit with the curators and artists of the Istanbul Biennial. This connection grew stronger over the years through the Sun Cinema project, realized in collaboration with the Mardin Cinema Association, and the Mardin Biennial. Bafra wrote critiques and interviews on various editions of the Mardin Biennial, as well as international biennials; these works were published on Open Radio, as well as in various books and magazines.