Team
Nergis Abıyeva (1991) continues her PhD studies in Art History at Istanbul Technical University. Upon the completion of her undergraduate studies at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSU), Department of Art History and Brera Academy in Milan, Abıyeva received her Master’s degree with her thesis titled “Tiraje Dikmen’s Art and Life” from MSGSU Western Art and Contemporary Art. In 2017, she received a SALT Research Grant for her research on “Tiraje Dikmen in the Context of Painters Who Travelled to Paris in the 1950s”. Between 2015 and 2017, Abıyeva worked as the archive manager for Maçka Art Gallery’s 40th Anniversary projects, contributing to archive exhibitions as well. Between 2017 and 2020, she worked as a researcher at a private collection and at Arter. In 2022, Abıyeva penned a monography titled Çağdaş Resmin Dervişi [The Dervish of Contemporary Painting] on the life and work of artist Murat Sinkil. Her exhibition/book reviews and interviews have been published in Turkish and English in periodicals such as Sanat Dünyamız, Varlık, PRŌTOCOLLUM, Genç Sanat Dergisi, Istanbul Art News, Birikim, Argonotlar, Art Unlimited, Global Art Daily since 2015. She wrote about Tiraje Dikmen and Mihri Rasim for AWARE platform. Among the group exhibitions she curated are “Mental Imaginary Things not Actually Present[1] ” (Summart, 2022), “Another Atlas of Women Artists[2] ” (Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Centre, 2022), “Extraordinary Equivalences, Subtle Similarities[3] ” (Mixer, 2021). In 2023, she curated Gülçin Aksoy’s “Medal of Compassion” (Merdiven Art Space) and Benal Dikmen’s solo exhibitions “Trojan Women” and “Helen’s Double Life” (Troy Museum, Manfred Osman Library). In the same year, she wrote the catalogue texts for Clemens Wolf’s “REMIX-Material Archeology” at Sanatorium and Ekin Saçlıoğlu’s “Fragmented” at artSümer. She also teaches Art Marketing at Yıldız Technical University. In summer 2023, she received a scholarship from Salzburg Academy and participated in the workshop “Taking a position: Art & Writing” organized by Jennifer Higgie.
Advisory Board
After graduating from Galatasaray High School, she received her bachelor’s degree from Istanbul University, Department of Art History and his master’s degree from Boğaziçi University, Department of History. She completed his PhD at Istanbul Technical University with her thesis titled “The painting milieu in Pera 1844-1916”. After working as a reporter in the art and culture sections of Yeniyüzyıl and Cumhuriyet newspapers, she taught art history and history at Galatasaray High School for more than ten years. Since 2009, she has been a lecturer at Yıldız Technical University, Department of Art, Art Management Program. Her lectures include courses such as “Cultural Policies”, “Art and Criticism” and “Design and Art”. Having curated various exhibitions at the French Cultural Centre in Istanbul, the Maritime Museum and the Pera Museum, Seza Sinanlar Uslu carries on her academic studies.
Upon the completion of his bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts Management, he received his master's degree in Marketing Communication at Istanbul Bilgi University. Between 2010 and 2022, he worked at Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, Doğuş Broadcasting Group and ATÖLYE in different fields such as communication, community and programming and project management. In 2015, he founded kultur.limited, an independent platform for professionals in the cultural sector. In mid-2022, Emre started freelancing and, in June 2023, founded Espas, a cultural management consultancy company. Emre teaches Marketing in Art at Yeditepe University and his articles on cultural management, cultural politics and popular culture are published in Calling, Cumhuriyet, Gazete Duvar, Istanbul Art News, GQ, T24, Vogue and Zero. Emre is a member of AICA Turkey (International Art[4] Critics Association) as an independent art writer since 2017.
She graduated from the Department of Ceramics Arts at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Anadolu University in 1998. Between 2008 and 2010, and studied in the Master's program of Museum Studies at the Faculty of Art and Design of Yıldız Technical University. She graduated in 2023 with her thesis titled 'Administrative Evaluation of Museology in Turkey in the Context of Museum Legislation' Over the fourteen years she worked in the field of museology, he specialized in museum management by working at Kocaeli City Culture Research and Development Center, Imre Thököly - Ilona Zrínyi Memorial House, SEKA Paper Industry Museum Research and Development Project, Istanbul Archaeology Museums as a museum researcher, Sait Faik Abasıyanık Museum, Darüşşafaka Museum, and Beşiktaş JK Museum. Cürgen Gültaş worked on various projects such as museums, science centers, and exhibitions, as well as in establishing and developing corporate memory. She presented papers at national and international seminars and symposiums in the field of museology. Her writings and interviews on cultural heritage preservation and the museum profession were published in platforms such as Artdog, Istanbul Art News, Archaeology and Art, and Medium. In 2024, Canan Cürgen Gültaş founded Terramemoria©, offering seminar, museum management, and consultancy services in museum and exhibition projects, focusing on the establishment and development of corporate memory.
A graduate of Boğaziçi University Political Science and International Relations, Akbulut wrote reviews and did interviews[5] for various cinema magazines during his university years. Since 2010, he started writing on contemporary art and contributed to many publications, especially Gazete Duvar and Sanat Dünyamız. Between 2018 and 2020, Akbulut worked as an editor at Susma Platform, which is against censorship and self-censorship in art and media. In 2017, he founded Güncel Sanat Bulletin, one of Turkey’s first journalistic bulletins, and in 2020 he founded Argonotlar Contemporary Art publication. He continues to work as Argonotlar’s founding editor-in-chief.