Making a “Mediterranean Biennial” Actors, Institutions, Networks
Moderator: Serhan Ada
Panelists: Ayşegül Kurtel · Saša Nabergoj · Sana Tamzini · Didem Yazıcı
24.01.2024 – Institut français Izmir – 18:30 – 20:00
The panel will be held in English and simultaneous translation to Turkish will be provided.
Serhan Ada
President of the Izmir Mediterranean Academy; Assistant Professor at the faculty of Art and Cultural Management Department, Director of Cultural Policy and Management Research Center, Head of UNESCO Chair in Cultural Policy and Cultural Diplomacy at İstanbul Bilgi University; Member of the Scientific Board of the UNESCO Regional Bureau in Venice
Ada has been an Assistant Professor at the faculty of Art and Cultural Management Department for 25 years, and Director of Cultural Policy and Management Research Center at İstanbul Bilgi University. Ada has been a visiting professor in various universities in the world. Ada, also an editor and a writer of poems and essays, has written extensively on cultural policy, cities and art theory. He was the curator of the retrospective exhibition of the American-Lebanese artist Etel Adnan “The Impossible Homecoming” in 2021 Pera Museum, Istanbul.
Ayşegül Kurtel
Artistic Director of Izmir Mediterranean Biennial, Founding Director of K2 Contemporary Art Center
Kurtel has worked as a lecturer at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Fine Arts, as an art gallery consultant, gallery founder and manager, producer and presenter of a television programs on culture and arts. Kurtel is the founding partner of Galeri A Contemporary Art Center. She is the founding director of K2 Contemporary Art Center and of PORTIZMIR, organized by K2. Kurtel, who also has curatorial experiences, was awarded the “Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” Order of Arts and Letters by the French State in 2010.
Saša Nabergoj
A director of Škofja Loka Museum public regional museum and contemporary art venue in Slovenia and professor of History and Theory at School of Arts at University Gorica; Art Historian, Curator, Critic, Writer, Editor, Lecturer
With programs she has conceptualized and formed (usually in different formats of collaboration), Nabergoj is creating a platforms for critical reflection on artistic, curatorial, museological practices and its placement into the wider cultural, social and political context.
Sana Tamzini
Artist, Curator, University Professor, Expert in Cultural Policies, Creative Advisor of Izmir Mediterranean Biennial
Sana Tamzini is an artist, curator and university professor with extensive expertise in
international cultural cooperation and in contemporary art exhibitions. The main areas of her current academic research work include design of cultural policies in the MENA region.
Didem Yazıcı
Curator, Writer, Director of Yapı Kredi Gallery, Creative Advisor of Izmir Mediterranean Biennial
Didem Yazıcı is an Istanbul- and Karlsruhe-based curator and writer. She has been working as Director of Yapı Kredi Gallery in Istanbul since 2022. Her curatorial work is inspired by thinking across disciplines in and outside of art as well as engaging socio-political dynamics.