Art Production Fund Mentors Announced!

Art theorist, writer and curator Ezgi Bakçay completed her undergraduate education at Galatasaray University Faculty of Communication, Department of Cinema and Television. She completed her master's degree at Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Sculpture. She received her doctorate from Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts, Department of Sociology. Since 2006, he has taught courses on ‘Art Theories,’ ‘Methods of Analysing Artworks,’ ‘Visual Culture,’ ‘Art Management,’ and ‘Contemporary Art’ at Marmara University, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul Bilgi University, and Istanbul Technical University. He serves as a curator and coordinator at Karşı Sanat Çalışmaları (Opposite Art Studies) and works as a lecturer at various universities. He develops projects aimed at strengthening the independent culture and arts field and continues his work in the areas of aesthetics and politics, cultural policies, art practices in the public sphere, visual culture, and art sociology.

Photo by Peo Ollson

Elif Kamışlı is an exhibition maker and writer based in Istanbul. She studied political science, cultural studies, and cultural experience design in Istanbul and Rome. From 2014 to 2024, she served as Exhibition Manager for the Istanbul Biennial. She is currently the Director of Adyar Art Project for the Theosophical Society at its international headquarters in India, where her work explores the connections between spirituality and art. Her recent curatorial work includes Åsa Jungnelius’ solo exhibition at Pera Museum, Istanbul (2025). Her essays, Sunday Posts, appeared in the 17th Istanbul Biennial catalogue (2022), and her book, Notebooks, was published by the NEON Foundation, Athens (2021). She also co-authored Best Wishes with Volkan Aslan (2020) and edited İnci Eviner’s Co-action Device: A Study (2014). Her essays explore the intertwinement of art, literature, and personal experience.

Zeyno Pekünlü is an artist whose artistic interventions mostly take the form of videos and installations. Her work has been shown both locally and internationally, including at institutions such as SALT (Istanbul), Istanbul Modern, CAC Brétigny, the Jewish Museum (New York), the MAXXI Museum (Rome), the Whitechapel Gallery (London), and the Hammer Museum (Los Angeles). She has also participated in major biennials such as the 14th Istanbul Biennial, Jakarta Biennale, and EVA International. She previously ran the Istanbul Biennial’s Production and Research Program and the Istanbul Cell of Fellowship for Situated Practice organized by BAK Utrecht. Currently, she is an instructor in the Media and Visual Arts Department at Koç University. Together with Köken Ergun, she co-founded the KIRIK initiative. She is on the editorial board of Red Thread Journal.

Başak Doğa Temür started working in Istanbul’s art scene in the early 2000s—a period marked by the establishment of new museums, art spaces, and cultural initiatives—taking part in the founding stages of İstanbul Modern, santralistanbul, and Arter. During her ten years at Arter, she was part of the curatorial team and the artistic programme board, held responsibilities in exhibition coordination and management, contributed to publications, and supported the production of new works. Her experience includes part-time teaching at İstanbul Bilgi University in the Film and Television and Visual Communication Design programmes. She has participated in advisory and jury boards, including the Advisory Board of the Pavilion of Turkey at the Venice Biennale, the CultureCIVIC: Arts and Culture Support Program Art Production Grants, and the pre-selection jury for the Berlin Senate’s Istanbul–Berlin Residency Program.