VAVCD Seminar Series; Nergis Abıyeva (Art Historian, Writer, and Curator)

Art historian, writer, and curator Nergis Abıyeva will discuss the concept of feminist curating, drawing from her academic research and curatorial work in feminist art history and contemporary artistic practices. Abıyeva will examine the historical, economic, and cultural dynamics that shape the visibility of women-identifying artists in both institutional and independent art contexts in Turkey. The presentation will address methodological approaches that aim to move beyond the “canon” narrative of art history and the contemporary art market, focusing on feminist exhibition strategies and collective modes of production. Historical examples related to re-reading the archives of artist-women+ and uncovering suppressed narratives within the histories of feminisms will be explored. Abıyeva will emphasize that feminist curating is not limited to selecting artist-women or increasing their representation; rather, it is a queer-feminist approach that seeks to transform the structural power relations underlying exhibition-making practices. During the seminar, participants will engage in exercises designed to develop disruptive perspectives on how power relations within art institutions can be recognized, made visible, and transformed.