2026 Curator Exchange Program Between Istanbul and Athens Begins

The participants of the 2026 Guest Curator Exchange Program, continued through the collaboration of SAHA and ARTWORKS, bringing together the contemporary art scenes of Turkey and Greece, have been announced.

Program Participants and New Route

SAHA and the Athens-based art institution ARTWORKS, which have been carrying out joint work for seven years to strengthen the dialogue between the contemporary art scenes of Turkey and Greece, have announced the participating names for the 2026 Guest Curator Exchange Program.

According to the announced results, Merve Elveren will carry out her work in Athens, while Steffi Stouri will be based in Istanbul for her research, establishing a strong artistic interaction between the two cities.

Six-Week Intensive Research Process

Planned to last a total of six weeks, this special program offers participants the opportunity to closely get to know the host country's art ecosystem, deepen their existing research, and build new professional relationships.

All details of the program and curious process information were shared with the public by SAHA Director Serra Şentürk.

Merve Elveren's Athens Research

Selected as a result of the open call held in collaboration with SAHA and ARTWORKS, curator Merve Elveren will focus on the parallel social and institutional transformations of Turkey and Greece over the last twenty years.

In this context, Elveren will thoroughly research the Athens art ecosystem, the survival strategies of art institutions, and regional dynamics through field studies.

Steffi Stouri's Istanbul Work

The other participant of the program, Steffi Stouri, will evaluate Istanbul with a holistic approach that considers it within the historical and cultural layers of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Stouri will advance her practices, which lie at the intersection of time-based media, archaeology, and posthumanism, even further with this comprehensive research in Istanbul.