"Curating Contemporary Art" Seminar Program
Seminar: Organizing a Biennial: The 7th Mardin Biennial Example
Speaker: Çelenk Bafra
Time: 6:00-7:30 pm
What distinguishes biennials, which are becoming increasingly visible, from large exhibitions or festivals? What are the priorities of biennials, which are often named after the city where they are held? With which stakeholders and processes do biennials emerge? In this workshop, the answers to these questions are addressed by examining the 7th Mardin Biennial, organized this year under the title GökZemin, in comparison with established examples from different parts of the world such as the Venice Biennial and the Istanbul Biennial.
About Çelenk Bafra
Çelenk Bafra is the Artistic Director of Istanbul Modern with an experience in biennials, museums, curatorial practices, residency and funding programs in Türkiye and abroad. She is an editor, arts writer, lecturer, and the producer of a weekly podcast broadcast on Açık Radio. She has curated group exhibitions and public programs in museums and institutions in Europe. Çelenk Bafra was the Director of SAHA, a non-governmental arts council supporting artists and curators through grants and programs (2018-2024). As the Curator and Director of Exhibitions & Programs at Istanbul Modern, she oversaw the museum's curatorial department and artistic program. She curated international group exhibitions, video & film programs, lectures, performances, and edited publications at the museum (2011-2018). Before joining Istanbul Modern, she worked at the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), not only as the director of the Istanbul Biennial but also as the coordinating curator of the Saison Culturelle de la Turquie in partnership with the Institut Français in France, and an advisor for the Pavilion of Türkiye, la Biennale di Venezia in Italy (2004-2010). She is the founding director of Atelier de Turquie, Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris and SAHA Studio in Istanbul, and contributes internationally to various other residency and studio programs.)
* This seminar is organized in collaboration between Akbank Sanat and Open Dialogue Istanbul
* To learn conditions of participation in a single seminar, we would kindly ask you to send an e-mail to apply@curatingcontemporaryart.org address noting the required seminar details. Single seminar participation fee is 850 TL for adults, 650 TL for students (VAT included).
* The program will take place on the online platform Zoom.