BIOGRAPHY
Ayca Okay born in Izmir, is an AICA Turkey, CIMAM, and ICOM member curator, cultural strategist, and writer working at the intersection of research-based practices and contemporary art. Her holistic curatorial approach emphasizes fostering intellectual resources, and sustainable support systems through collaborations with individuals, communities, and institutions. Focusing on the SWANA and European regions, Okay spotlights projects that blur traditional boundaries of art, reframing it as a product of processes involving ideas, theories, and experimental approaches.
Since 2018, she has curated and managed exhibitions and collections for institutions including BAKSI Museum, Borusan Contemporary, Contemporary Istanbul Foundation, Yves Rocher Foundation, Vorfluter Projektraum Berlin, Scope Berlin, and Somos Arts Berlin. She has also managed art projects in corporations such as Turkish Airlines, SANKO, and QNB Finansbank. Previously, she was the Art Programs Director at Contemporary Istanbul Foundation and, since 2022, a scout and advisor for LOOP Barcelona Video Art Fair.
Ayca Okay was invited to the International Curators’ Visit Program, where she researched the Northern Art Ecosystem in Oslo and the EMST Museum Collection in Athens. She was also one of the 20 finalists participating in the Crack International Art Camp in the Kusthia region of Bangladesh. Supported by SAHA, she is one of the three young female curators granted membership to CIMAM (International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art).
As a board member of BAKSI Museum, she contributed as a jury member for APEXART’s international art competitions in New York. She also managed international curatorial projects at AWC Contemporary Dubai, further cementing her global presence in the art world by appointing the Honorary Curatorial Board of Art D’Égypte and the 3rd edition of Kommagene Land and River Art Biennial. In 2025 and 2026, she will co-curate the Panoramic Festival in Barcelona and curate a solo exhibition by Nathalie Rey at the Mataro Contemporary Museum.
Her articles have been widely published in Stir World, Milliyet, Hurriyet, Posta, Gazete Duvar, Milliyet Sanat, Nftify, Medium, and Artdog Magazine. She has programmed, moderated, and participated in panels and public programs at the LOOP Barcelona Video Art Fair, BASE Istanbul, Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair, Performistanbul Live Performance Research Center, BAKSI Museum, ZOMA Museum, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and the Turkish Women's Association.
CURATORIAL INFORMATION
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
Ayca Okay's curatorial practice is informed by a holistic perspective, shaped by formative experiences that highlight the intricate interconnections within systems. Insights from diverse disciplines are drawn to develop comprehensive and effective solutions, focusing on content, thematic coherence, spatial arrangement, and audience FIELngagement to facilitate meaningful public experiences.
A commitment is maintained to fostering compelling discourses on contemporary issues, challenging the artificial boundaries often imposed within the contemporary art sphere. Art is regarded not merely as a product but as a dynamic result of intricate processes involving thoughts, ideas, texts, theories, and experimentation.
Guidance is taken from Robert Storr's metaphor of exhibition-making as a form of language, with each element within the exhibition space approached as a component of a cohesive narrative. These principles are applied to shape strategies that convey the intended discourse, to craft exhibitions that deeply and transformatively engage audiences.
The ambition remains clear to dismantle barriers, transcend limitations, and present a commanding perspective reflecting diverse influences' nuanced interplay.
FIELD OF RESEARCH
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
Ayca Okay's research focuses on critical topics such as Urbanism, Post-Anthropocentrism, Ecocriticism, Entanglement Theory, Feminist and Queer Curating, and Critical Arts Theory.
She explores the intersection of human societies, cities, and the environment, examining how urban spaces can promote inclusivity and sustainability. Her work critiques human-centered perspectives, advocating for an ecological approach that values non-human entities and their relationships with humans. She also investigates how art and cultural practices can address environmental concerns, as well as how curatorial practices can be more inclusive of marginalized gender identities and sexualities.
Additionally, Okay engages with critical art theories that challenge traditional ideologies and promote social change, integrating these ideas into her broader research on contemporary cultural practices.
PROJECT AREAS
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
PROJECT AREAS
Ayca Okay's projects have spanned a wide array of countries, reflecting her international presence in the art world.
She has showcased her work in Turkey, with notable exhibitions in Istanbul, Gaziantep, Bayburt, Trabzon, and Bodrum.
Internationally, she has participated in exhibitions in cities such as Berlin, New York, and Barcelona, as well as Paris, where she continues to expand her artistic reach.