"Curating Contemporary Art" Seminar Program
Program Director: Billur Tansel
“Curating Contemporary Art” is a 8 month-long seminar series organized in cooperation by Open Dialogue Istanbul and Akbank Sanat. The purpose of these seminars is to initiate a comprehensive program on curating that is on an international level, thus creating a prestigious and unequalled platform of education in this field in Turkey. The program will consist of both theory and practice. The program, which will run under the coordination of Billur Tansel, will be carried out with an educational, practice-based and research-oriented approach. The seminars will be presented in Turkish and English. Speakers will be renowned actors from the international art platform. The seminars will also feature case studies on biennials, galleries, museums and art fairs. At the end of the seminars, if approved by the Jury, the final exhibition projects suggested by the participants will be displayed in either Akbank Sanat or other collaborative institutions and participants will be presented with a certificate of completion. The program seminars will take place between November 2025 and June 2026.
About Open Dialogue Istanbul
Open Dialogue Istanbul was founded in July 2015 by Billur Tansel as a nomadic international contemporary art project. After organizing various cultural events both in Turkey and abroad, the organization has been based in Istanbul since October 2016, continuing its activities across diverse fields. In addition to its educational programs, Open Dialogue Istanbul develops and realizes projects within a curatorial framework, and provides consultancy services to art institutions, collectors, artists, and students who aim to pursue a career in the arts. The institution organizes conferences, seminars, and panels specifically designed for adults. One of its core missions is to promote, support, and elevate intercultural dialogue among artists, curators, and writers to an international level. Open Dialogue Istanbul also aims to provide new platforms for emerging curators, artists, and writers, while creating learning opportunities for art students who may not yet have professional experience in the field.
* 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.
A Story of Modern and Contemporary Art - I
Online Platform – Zoom
6 November 2025|18:00
The Story of Curating - I
Online Platform – Zoom
10 November 2025|18:00
The Story of Curating - II
Online Platform – Zoom
13 November 2025|18:00
A Story of Modern and Contemporary Art - II
Online Platform – Zoom
19 November 2025|18:00
Art Readings in the Light of Semiotics
Online Platform – Zoom
20 November 2025|18:00
Curator’s Role
Online Platform – Zoom
24 November 2025|19:00
The Culture & Ideology of Art - I
Online Platform – Zoom
27 November 2025|18:00
History Of Exhibitions
Online Platform – Zoom
1 December 2025|19:00
An Analysis of Exhibition Models - I
Online Platform – Zoom
8 December 2025|19:00
The Culture & Ideology of Art - II
Online Platform – Zoom
11 December 2025|18:00
An Analysis of Exhibition Models - II
Online Platform – Zoom
17 December 2025|18:00
Different Methods in Curatorship and Exhibition Practices
Online Platform – Zoom
8 January 2026|18:00
The Birth Of the Language Of Criticism, Its Limits and Dilemmas
Online Platform – Zoom
12 January 2026|18:00
Inside a Global Gallery: How Lisson Shapes Artistic Narratives Across Markets
Online Platform – Zoom
15 January 2026|18:00
Strategic Planning & Project Development - I
Online Platform – Zoom
22 January 2026|18:00
Strategic Planning & Project Development - II
Online Platform – Zoom
29 January 2026|18:00
Organising in the Field of Art in Turkey
Online Platform – Zoom
2 February 2026|18:00
Collection Management
Online Platform – Zoom
16 February 2026|18:00
Co-Action Device
Online Platform – Zoom
23 February 2026|18:00
Preventive Conversation: Packing, Shipping and Storage Management - I
Online Platform – Zoom
26 February 2026|18:00
Preventive Conversation: Packing, Shipping and Storage Management - II
Online Platform – Zoom
2 March 2026|18:00
The Museum Project: The Collaboration Between the Architect- Curator And Exhibition Designer
Online Platform – Zoom
5 March 2026|18:00
Trusting the Process
Online Platform – Zoom
26 March 2026|18:00
Justice Between Forgetting and Remembering
Online Platform – Zoom
27 March 2026|18:00
Exhibition Planning: Risk Management and Artwork Insurance
Online Platform – Zoom
1 April 2026|18:00
Contemporary Art and Curatorship with a Focus on Intellectual Property and Art Law
Online Platform – Zoom
6 April 2026|18:00
Dead Can Dance: Afterlife of Art
Online Platform – Zoom
13 April 2026|18:00
Stylessness and Dissolution of the Monograph
Online Platform – Zoom
22 April 2026|18:00
Küratörlük-etik kurucu bir alan mı ya da felsefeciler küratör olsaydı?
Online Platform – Zoom
30 April 2026|18:00
Trends & Evolution of the Art Market and Its Position in the World Today
Online Platform – Zoom
5 May 2026|18:00
Creating and “Reading” Movement in Sculpture
Online Platform – Zoom
1 June 2026|18:00
Art Collecting in Türkiye with Its Historicity and Problematics
Online Platform – Zoom
2 June 2026|18:00
Organizing a Biennial: The 7th Mardin Biennial Example
Online Platform – Zoom
8 June 2026|18:00
Curatorial Design Strategies
Online Platform – Zoom
15 June 2026|18:00
Proper Lighting of Artworks and Exhbition Spaces
Online Platform – Zoom
25 June 2026|18:00