"Curating Contemporary Art" Seminar Program
Seminar: Art Collecting in Türkiye with Its Historicity and Problematics
Speaker: Doç Dr. Ebru Nalan Sülün
Time: 6:00-7:30 pm
The seminar examines the formation and interaction of collections within the broader cultural, social, and political developments of the Ottoman Empire from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. In this context, the palace’s approach to collecting, the impact of the Industrial Revolution, universal exhibitions along the East–West axis, and the cultural exchanges established through these exhibitions are explored. The cultural and social transformation following the proclamation of the Republic is evaluated through state–art relations, collections, exhibitions, and cultural policies. The seminar analyzes the cultural, social, and political developments between 1923 and 1950 through the practice of collecting.
The multi-party era, cultural policies, and socio-economic transformations, as well as the impact of cultural evolution on collections, are addressed. The program evaluates the social, political, cultural, and economic transformations from 1950 to 1980 and from 1980 to the present from the perspective of collecting. Within this framework, exhibitions, galleries, academia, art criticism, auction practices, biennials, the rise of the museum era, art fairs, and the effects of digital transformation are analyzed. In addition, contemporary issues such as sustainability, preservation, and the future of collections, questions of authenticity and connoisseurship, private collections that have not transitioned into museum structures, and artist-led collections are discussed.
About Associate Prof. Dr. Ebru Nalân Sülün
Ebru Nalân Sülün is an art historian, academic, and curator. After graduating from the Department of Art History at Hacettepe University, she completed her master’s degree in the Painting Department. She received her PhD in art history with her dissertation titled “Contemporary Art Collecting in Turkey (1990- 2010).” She currently serves as a faculty member in the Department of Basic Education at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Marmara University. She teaches courses on Western art history, contemporary art theories, and current art dynamics. With a versatile practice in the field of art, Sülün has worked as a curator, art director, and coordinator in numerous exhibitions and art events. She has participated in various national and international symposiums, and her art criticism, book chapters, and research have been published in several academic and professional platforms. She is a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA- TR).
Published Books
Habip Aydoğdu- Kırmızı, Antalya’da Erken Cumhuriyet Dönemi Kültür-Sanat Ortamı, Türkiye’de Çağdaş Sanat Koleksiyonculuğu.
Selected Forthcoming Publications
Bir Kendilik Öyküsü: Naile, Hancan Sanat Koleksiyonu’ndan Bir Seçki: Parçalar&Haller, Zihnin Sınırlarında Bir Rota: Fikret Mualla (with Pelin Okvuran)
Selected Exhibitions (Curatorship- Coordination)
I. Antalya International Painting Festival (2002), Akdeniz Art: 1st International Mediterranean Art Days (2011)- “Special Selection”, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey Art Collection: Realities and Projections (2012), Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey Art Collection: Meaning and Essence (2012), Encounters- Pera Museum (2016), Encounters- Antalya Culture Art (2016), Impact İzmir: Video Art Festival (2016)- Adnan Saygun Cultural Center, Jale İnan Retrospective- Antalya Women’s Museum event (2016), Open Air Art Space/Kaleiçi Open Air Art Space within the scope of the International Oldtown Kaleiçi Festival (2016/2021- continued for 5 years) (ATSO- City Contributors- Culture-Art Award), A Story of Self: Naile Akıncı Retrospective (1953-2013)- Gazhane (2023), Pieces/States- Selection from the Hancan Art Collection (2023)- Union Française building/Pera, Common & Unified- within the scope of the 6th Mardin Biennial (2024), A Route in the Boundaries of the Mind: Fikret Muallâ- Erimtan Archeology and Art Museum (2025).
* 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.