Vasif Kortun

Vasif Kortun is a writer, curator and teacher in the field of contemporary art living and working in Istanbul. He is the programs and research director of GAR, a new interdisciplinary institution in Istanbul. He was the founding director of several places including Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center [2001-2004], Proje4L Istanbul Museum of Contemporary Art (2001-2004), and the Museum of the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, New York (1993-1997).

Kortun was the chief curator of the Third [1992] and the co-curator of the Ninth Istanbul Biennials [2005]. Among the other Biennials he has co-curated are Taipei [2008], Sao Paolo [1994 and 1998], Tirana [2003], and Second Ceramics Biennial in Albisola [2003]. Kortun organized the Turkish Pavilion for the Biennale Arte 2007. He has curated numerous exhibitions in Turkey and abroad, and received the Ninth Annual Award for Curatorial Excellence given by the Center for Curatorial Studies in 2006.

He has been working as an advisor to a number of institutions including the Middle East and North Africa Acquisition Committee of Tate Modern, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art in Korea. He was an advisor to the Guggenheim Museum, Van AbbeMuseum, Walker Art Center, the Istanbul Biennial, E-Flux and others. Kortun has been on the board of the Foundation for Arts Initiatives, and magazines such as Broadsheet, Australia and Contemporary Art Practices.

He was on the International of Jury of several events such as the Velasquez Prize, The 50th International Venice Biennial, Internationaler Kunstpreis der Kulturstiftung Stadtsparkasse München, Querini Stampalia FURLA Prize for Art, 26th Biennial of Graphic Arts in Ljubljana, and others. Kortun has taught graduate courses at Bilgi, Yildiz and Bilkent Universities in Turkey as well as Helsinki Fine Arts Academy, HISK, Netherlands Institute of Fine Arts, Konstfack, University College of Arts Crafts and Design, Stockholm as well as at the curatorial programs such as De Appel, Center for Curatorial Studies, and the Royal College.