Nilbar Güreş to Represent Türkiye at 2026 Venice Biennale with Curator Başak Doğa Temür

Nilbar Güreş will create the exhibition for the Turkish Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, opening May 9, 2026. The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) announced her selection alongside curator Başak Doğa Temür. Güreş's multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, installation, painting, photography, and performance, often addressing gender, identity, and cultural memory through a humorous yet critical lens. Her work has been shown extensively at major biennials and museums internationally. The Advisory Board for the Türkiye Pavilion chose Güreş because her practice resonates with the biennial's theme "In Minor Keys," developed by the late Koyo Kouoh. The board noted her ability to create poetic universes while giving visibility to marginalized communities within Türkiye's complex social fabric. Başak Doğa Temür previously served as a curator and artistic program board member at Istanbul's Arter Museum and was on the Advisory Board for the Türkiye Pavilion from 2017 to 2019. She helped establish several Turkish art institutions in the early 2000s, including Arter, Istanbul Modern, and santralistanbul. The exhibition will be presented at the Arsenale in Venice from May 9 to November 22, 2026.