BIOGRAPHY
Ayça Okay is a curator, cultural strategist, and writer born in İzmir. She is a member of AICA Turkey, CIMAM, and ICOM. Her work operates at the intersection of research-based practices and contemporary art. With a holistic curatorial approach, she emphasizes the development of intellectual resources and the promotion of sustainable support systems through collaborations with individuals, communities, and institutions.
Focusing on the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) and European regions, Okay highlights projects that blur traditional artistic boundaries and reframe art as a product of ideas, theories, and experimental processes.
Since 2018, she has curated and managed exhibitions and collections for institutions such as BAKSI Museum, Borusan Contemporary, Contemporary Istanbul Foundation, Yves Rocher Foundation, Vorfluter Projektraum Berlin, Scope Berlin, and Somos Arts Berlin. Additionally, she has overseen art projects for companies such as Turkish Airlines, SANKO, and QNB Finansbank. Previously, she served as the Art Programs Director at the Contemporary Istanbul Foundation and, since 2022, has been working as a consultant and researcher for LOOP Barcelona Video Art Fair.
Okay was invited to the International Curators Visit Program, where she conducted research on the Northern Art Ecosystem in Oslo and the EMST Museum Collection in Athens. She was also among the 20 finalists at the Crack International Art Camp in Kusthia, Bangladesh. With SAHA’s support, she was selected as one of the three young female curators accepted into CIMAM membership.
As a board member of BAKSI Museum, she has served as a jury member for APEXART’s international art competitions in New York. She oversees AWC Contemporary Dubai’s international curatorial projects and is part of the curatorial board of Art D'Égypte. In 2025, she will curate the 2nd Commagene Land and River Art Biennial and co-curate the Panoràmic Festival in Barcelona. In 2026, she will curate Nathalie Rey’s solo exhibition at the Mataró Museum of Contemporary Art.
Her articles have been published in Stir World, Milliyet, Hürriyet, Posta, Gazete Duvar, Milliyet Sanat, Nftify, Medium, and Artdog Magazine. She has organized programs, moderated discussions, and participated in panels at LOOP Barcelona Video Art Fair, BASE Istanbul, Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair, Performistanbul Live Art Research Center, BAKSI Museum, ZOMA Museum, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and the Turkish Women’s Association.
CURATORIAL INFORMATION
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
Ayça 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 engage
Ayça 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 engagement 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, crafting exhibitions that deeply and transformatively engage audiences.
The ambition remains clear: to dismantle barriers, transcend limitations, and present a commanding perspective reflecting the nuanced interplay of diverse influences.
FIELD OF RESEARCH
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
Ayça 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 cri
Ayça 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
Ayça 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 İstanbul, Gaziantep, Bayburt, Trabzon, and Bodrum.
Internationally, she has participated in exhibitions in cities such as Berlin, New York, and Barcelona, as w
Ayça 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 İstanbul, 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.
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The exhibition titled "Misantrophy" at the Rast Gallery will be open to the public from April 11, 2025, to May 9, 2025.