Current, Member-TUSIAD BBI BerlIn Bosphorus InItIatIve
TUSIAD BBI Start-Up Community
Berlin, Germany
The Berlin Bosphorus Initiative (BBI) seeks to elevate the exchange, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration between Germany and Turkey across economic, societal, and political spheres. By building a sustainable network of competent partners from both countries, BBI aims to foster innovative and enduring partnerships.
Strengthening German-Turkish Dialogue: Advancing discussions on economic, political, and cultural topics.
Enhancing Economic Relations: Promoting and supporting business ties between Germany and Turkey.
Knowledge Dissemination: Sharing insights into Turkey’s socio-economic characteristics.
Challenging Prejudice: Fostering mutual understanding and strengthening social connections between the two nations.
Supporting Integration: Facilitating the economic, social, and political integration of Turkish migrants in Germany.
Through these efforts, BBI aims to build bridges, promote understanding, and encourage collaborative progress between Germany and Turkey.
2024, VISITING Curator, OSLO OPEN VISITINGG Program
Grantee / April 2024
As part of Oslo Open, we invite distinguished curators, gallerists, and writers to Oslo to foster stronger connections between Oslo-based artists and the global art community. These international guests visit selected artists in their individual studios, offering unique opportunities for dialogue and collaboration.
In addition to studio visits, we have introduced juried portfolio viewings, structured as speed-dating sessions. During these sessions, artists present their portfolios in one-on-one meetings with international guests. The primary goal of this program is to enhance the international visibility and integration of Oslo’s vibrant art field.
First launched in 2014, the program is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is organized in collaboration with Norwegian Crafts and OCA.
2024 Selected Curators
Adomas Narkevicius – Curator, Cell Project Space, London, UK
Alberta Sessa – Curatorial Coordinator, Bozar, Brussels, Belgium
Alexandra Cunningham Cameron – Curator of Contemporary Design, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, USA
Alicja Latkowska – Project Manager, National Museum of Warsaw, Poland
Amerigo Mariotti – Curator, Adiacenze, Bologna, Italy
Ayca Okay – Independent Curator and Art Writer, Istanbul, Turkey/Berlin, Germany
2024, VISITING Curator, EMST MUSEUM VISITING Program
Grantee / March 2024
As part of the program, ΕΜSΤ will regularly host international curators and exhibition organizers. These guests, including museum curators and independent curators from around the world, will prepare major international exhibitions in the near future. Participants will engage in a customized program tailored to their research needs and areas of interest. This includes visits to artists’ studios, art venues, and exhibitions and facilitated introductions to art professionals living and working in Greece.
Curators are selected either through invitation or application. For more information or to apply, please get in touch with Fivos Sakalis, ΕΜSΤ International Relations.
The ΕΜSΤ International Curators Visiting Program launched in October 2023 with a visit by Nóra Ó Murchú, curator and artistic director of Transmediale in Berlin, Germany.
Juror, APEXART New York, 2023-2024
OPEN CALLS
apexart’s Open Calls offer artists, curators, and creative professionals the opportunity to transform their curatorial ideas into full-fledged exhibitions. These proposals are selected through an innovative online jury process, involving apexart’s international community to collectively shape the upcoming exhibition season.
Winning proposals receive funding and staff support to develop their exhibitions, which become integral parts of apexart’s programming. Unlike traditional granting organizations, apexart integrates all selected exhibitions into its curated schedule, fostering innovative and thought-provoking projects from around the globe.
2022, PanelIst-Loop Barcelona VIDEO FESTIVAl Talks
LOOP FAIR & LOOP TALKS
Almanac Barcelona (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 619-621)
15–17 November 2022
Moderator: Samantha Ozer
Panelists: Lisa Long, Andrea Rodriguez Novoa, Théo-Mario Coppola, Ayca Okay
LIVE - Working Towards Sustainable Models for Time-Based Art
This panel brings together a group of experts to explore innovative working practices around the marketability and distribution of video art. Moving beyond traditional or editioned sales models, the discussion will focus on emerging opportunities for video artists to showcase their work in filmic spaces, such as streaming platforms like MUBI or Shasha.
Key questions include:
What are the advantages and limitations of gallery models versus streaming platforms?
How can we provide long-term support to video artists and help them build stable careers?
What creative funding strategies can be developed to sustain time-based art programming?
Is there a role for blockchain technology in managing video rights and distribution?
What can the video art world learn from the theater, film, and music industries?
What alternative approaches to collecting, commissioning, and collaboration can we envision?
This session aims to spark dialogue on sustainable practices, innovative funding, and the future of video art in both traditional and digital spaces.
2022, SAHA AssocIatIon Travel Grantee, CİMAM Conference
In 2022, SAHA became an institutional supporter of CİMAM, the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art. As part of this collaboration, SAHA provides travel grants for art professionals from Turkey, enabling them to participate in the CİMAM Annual Conference.
For the 2022 edition, titled The Attentive Museum: Permeable Practices for a Common Ground, CİMAM awarded around 30 travel grants to contemporary art curators, museum directors, and other professionals. The conference took place at Es Baluard Museu d'Art Contemporani de Palma, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, from November 11 to 13, 2022. Among the 41 grant recipients were Ulya Soley, Naz Cuguoglu, and Ayca Okay, representing Turkey.
The CİMAM Travel Grant Program aims to foster the curatorial and research development of its participants by facilitating their engagement in critical debates on contemporary art practices. This year’s conference featured three days of discussions on pressing issues under the theme #TheAttentiveMuseum. Ayca Okay, supported by SAHA, participated in these sessions, contributing to the exchange of ideas and reflections on the evolving role of museums in contemporary art.
2022, CuratorIal ResIdency, SOMOS BerlIn
Curator in Residence
SomoS is pleased to present Criss-Cross Pollination, a group exhibition exploring the socio-political relationships between botanics and humans within the context of migration.
The exhibition uses narration as a tool to critique global migration policies and their impact on immigrants, touching on themes such as belonging, identity, and alienation. By integrating botanical archive research and a series of surveys, Criss-Cross Pollination builds on the personal experiences of the curator and participating artists, all of whom have navigated ethnic coexistence in foreign countries.
With "plant" as its central metaphor, the exhibition explores the parallels between the movement of humans and plants, emphasizing the significance of diversity and cross-pollination over the negative effects of monoculture.
Curated by Ayca Okay during her residency at SomoS, the exhibition features prominent artists from Turkey, Germany, Syria, and Egypt: Anwar Al Atrash, İnci Eviner, Jasmina Metwaly, Manaf Halbouni, and Verena Kyselka.
Drawing on her research in urbanism, post-anthropocentrism, ecocriticism, entanglement theory (in archaeology), and critical arts theory, Okay examines the roles of botanics and humans within the framework of urban life. The curator's personal experience as a Turkish art professional in Berlin significantly influenced the project. She notes, "I learned that plants, like humans, are subjected to various biological pressures by the dominant species in the ecosystems they migrate to. This migration, which can be devastating for the migrant, can also have a harmful impact on the ecosystem. Plants, too, undergo a process where they are exposed to as much 'paperwork' as humans."
However, as Okay suggests, the organic is no match for the legal. Criss-Cross Pollination invites the audience to reconsider the value of mobility within existing social structures and ecosystems, offering a fresh perspective on migration. Drawing inspiration from French writer and poet Édouard Glissant, the exhibition replaces the term "migration" with "SoJourner," offering a new way of thinking about the movement of people.
Through its diverse artistic positions, the exhibition addresses contemporary issues from the migrant perspective, advocating for a more accessible, interconnected global world.
Co-Curator, Make Art For Peace
The Contemporary Istanbul Foundation is organizing a charity exhibition in collaboration with the international art and culture exchange platform Istanbul Artist Residency and Ukrainian curator Polina Somochkina to raise funds for Ukrainian children that have suffered as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The exhibition called ‘Make Art for Peace’ will be held on April 28 – May 1 in Fisekhane, a heritage site in Istanbul’s historic Zeytinburnu district.
“We hope the funds raised by the ‘Make Art for Peace’ initiative will help provide relief to the most vulnerable victims of this cruel war. Children must never have to go through such unspeakable suffering,” said Ali Gureli, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Contemporary Istanbul Foundation.
The event is also supported by the Consulate General of Ukraine in Istanbul, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Istanbul, and the UNICEF Turkish National Committee.
“In times of crisis, art can be a powerful instrument for peace and unity. This is why we called this charity event ‘Make Art For Peace’ to honor the children left behind in Ukraine and the artist community mobilized for this cause,” said Polina Somochkina, Co-founder and Art Director of Istanbul Artist Residency.
‘Make Art for Peace’ has also drawn interest from local and international art collectors, artists, businesses, social entrepreneurs, and members of the diplomatic corps. Highlights will include a performance by internationally acclaimed musicians Yevgeniy Kostrytskyy and Rustam Rahmedov of the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra.
“We condemn Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, which is inflicting suffering on the Ukrainian population, including children. We stand firm against the violence inflicted on this world’s future generation and on the peace of our planet. Art is both the expression of our collective creativity and the best humanity can offer to heal our spirits,” said Roman Nedilskyi, Consul General of Ukraine in Istanbul.
The "Make Art for Peace" exhibition will feature the works of the following artists: Serhiy Savchenko, Andrii Bludov, Petro Smetana, and Yurij Savter from Ukraine; Zuzanna Dolega and Michal Czuba from Poland; Rusudan Khizanishvili from Georgia; and Merve Morkoc, Mustafa Boga, Lal Batman, Nancy Atakan, Murat Germen, Eymen Aktel, Mr. Hure, Hale Tenger, Nilbar Gures, Alla Guner, and Koray Tokdemir from Turkey.
Co-curators: Ayca Okay, Polina Somochkina
Co-Curator, Istanbul The LIghts
The project, which aims to transform Istanbul into a giant digital art platform, was launched at an online meeting on Dec. 5 with the participation of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and Contemporary Istanbul Foundation CEO Ali Gureli.
Stating that he was very pleased with the cooperation between the Contemporary Istanbul Foundation and the Istanbul Municipality, Imamoglu said, “I am happy to contribute to a very valuable project that will bring art and light together in Istanbul.”
Stating that he got excited at the time when the project was proposed to him, Imamoglu said, “I felt that such an event would suit this city, which we know is the leading art center of the world, and we want to achieve this goal altogether.”
“This city has given strong messages to its immediate surroundings and the world throughout history. Istanbul is an important city that has the potential to lead the world not only in the field of culture and arts but also in economy, commerce, philosophy, and theology. I feel this project will reveal very valuable traces in every context of the city,” he added.
Noting that the works that will be exhibited in 59 different public spaces and 52 city screens in the city will glorify Istanbul, Imamoglu said the city would give a message to the world through art during the pandemic process.
The exhibition features a diverse and talented group of artists, including Ahmet Rustem Ekici, Ahmet Said Kaplan, Alp Tugan, Arda Yalkin, Ayse Gul Suter, Balkan Karisman, Baris Gursel, Baris Kabalak, Berkan Alkan, Burak Dag, Burak Senturk, Busra Cegil, Ece Kibaroglu, Emre Namyeter, Emre Okcuer, Enes Fuat Genc, Erinc Seymen, Esra Koruc, Ethem Onur Bilgic, Fahrettin Aykut, Fatih Sevimlikurt, Firat Engin, Fuat Degirmenci, Furkan Nuka Birgun, Gokalp Gonen, Guvenc Ozel, ha:ar, Hakan Yilmaz, Hande Sekerciler, Hazal Unsal, Kivanc Tatar, Lal Batman, Lara Kamhi, Melis Buyruk, Meltem Sahin, Memo Akten, Mert Ege Kose, Murat Palta, Murat Sayginer, Osman Koc, Ouchhh, Ozan Gonen, Ozan Turkkan, Piril Sili, RAW: Selcuk Artut & Alp Tugan, Resole: Ecem Dilan Kose & Ahmet Unver, Selin Balci, Selin Cinar, Suleyman Yilmaz, Tuba Elmas, Tunca, and Under1Minute. This collective group reflects a wide range of contemporary artistic expressions, showcasing the dynamic nature of digital and multimedia art.
Co-curators: Ayca Okay, Esra Ozkan
