Turkey's Venice Pavilion Curator Resigns in Solidarity with Defne Ayas

Esra Sarıgedik Öktem has resigned as curator for Turkey’s national pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale to back Defne Ayas. This comes after the Istanbul Biennial turned down Ayas's proposal for its 18th edition, allegedly due to political factors. In light of this, the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), which manages both the Biennial and the Venice pavilion, stopped accepting new submissions. Consequently, art historian Agustín Pérez Rubio, curator Selen Ansen, and artist Sarkis resigned from the advisory board. Iwona Blazwick, a former director at the Whitechapel Gallery and Ayas supporter, will curate the 2024 Istanbul Biennial. Concerns about a potential conflict of interest related to Öktem arose since her gallery, BuroSarigedik, represents Gülsün Karamustafa, the Venice pavilion's featured artist. She noted on Instagram that Karamustafa asked her to take the position and she adjusted her gallery duties to limit her daily involvement. The Venice pavilion receives funding from İKSV, along with support from Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.