Vasıf Kortun

Vasıf Kortun is a curator, educator and writer in the field of contemporary art, its institutions, and exhibition practices. Kortun has worked on a few biennials including Taipei Biennale (2008) co-curated with ManRay Hsu, 9th International Istanbul Biennial (2005) co-curated with Charles Esche and worked as one of the group of curators of the 24. São Paulo Biennial (1998). He was the director and chief curator of the 3rd International Istanbul Biennial (1992). Kortun served as the founding director of several international institutions, including SALT, Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center, Proje4L, and the Museum of the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College. In 2006, he received the Award for Curatorial Excellence from the Center for Curatorial Studies for his "experimental approach and openness to new ideas to challenge the contemporary art world and push its parameters beyond national or international, local or global developments." Kortun has written extensively on contemporary art and visual culture in Turkey for publications and periodicals internationally. Recent publications include the second volume of his collected writings 20 (SALT, 2018) and VOTI: The Union of the Imaginary: a Curators’ Forum co-edited with Susan Hapgood and November Paynter, which explores the online discussion platform for international curators in the late 1990s (Walther König Books, 2016).