Fulya Erdemci archive at Salt Research

The archive of curator and writer Fulya Erdemci can now be accessed online at Salt Research

Fulya Erdemci, Cappadox Festival, Cappadocia, 2015. Salt Research, Fulya Erdemci Archive

Salt has launched the archive of curator and writer Fulya Erdemci (1962-2022). Transferred to Salt in collaboration with the Erdemci family, the archive brings together Erdemci’s writings, along with documents and photographs related to the exhibitions she organized from the 1990s until her passing in 2022. In addition to her curatorial and advisory work at various institutions, the collection offers insight into her practice through the conferences, talks, and projects she carried out both in Türkiye and abroad.

This archive marks the first step of a long-term research project on Erdemci and will be followed by a comprehensive publication to be released in 2026.

Fulya Erdemci, during the period she taught at Istanbul Bilgi University, circa 2001–2007 Salt Research, Fulya Erdemci Archive

In her projects and research, Fulya Erdemci focused on art in the public sphere. She explored how different communities coexist, the possibilities of collective action, and the social potential of imagination in many of the international exhibitions and programs she curated. While creating exhibitions sensitive to site and context in both urban and rural public spaces, she maintained a principle of balancing a strong and critical perspective with a delicate and poetic sensibility.

Between 2002 and 2005, Erdemci organized İstanbul Yaya Sergileri [Istanbul Pedestrian Exhibitions] (with Emre Baykal), which spread throughout the streets of the city. She curated numerous exhibitions and biennials, including Modern ve Ötesi [Modern and Beyond] (with Semra Germaner, Orhan Koçak, and Zeynep Rona, Santralistanbul, 2007), SCAPE Biennial of Art in Public Space (with Danae Mossman, New Zealand, 2008), the Turkish Pavilion at the 54th International Venice Biennale (2011), and the 13th Istanbul Biennial (2013). From 2015 to 2018, she directed the Contemporary Art Program of the Cappadox Festival in Cappadocia, where she curated the exhibitions Kapadokya Çarpması [Cappadocia Struck], Gelin Bahçemizi Ekelim [Let’s Cultivate Our Garden], Dünyadan Çıkış Yolları [Ways Out from the World], and Sessizlik [Silence]. As Director of the KØS Museum of Art in Public Spaces, she co-curated the exhibition Hummings (with Ulrikke Neergaard, Denmark, 2021).

Alongside her curatorial work, Erdemci held numerous leadership and advisory positions in Türkiye and abroad. She served as Director of the Istanbul Biennial from 1993 to 2000, Director of the Proje4L Museum of Contemporary Art in 2003-2004, and Curator of Temporary Exhibitions at Istanbul Modern in 2004-2005. Between 2008 and 2012, she was Director of the SKOR Foundation for Art and Public Domain in Amsterdam. In 2020, she joined the KØS Museum of Art in Public Spaces in Denmark as Curator. She acted as advisor to various international art institutions, including Urbane Künste Ruhr (Germany) and MAXXI (Italy), and served on selection committees for events such as the Berlin Biennial, Sonsbeek International, and the International Award for Excellence in Public Art. Erdemci also taught at Bilkent University, Istanbul Bilgi University, and Kadir Has University, contributed essays to various journals and publications, and edited several books.

Solda: Aziz Sarıyer and Derin Sarıyer, Trees, site-specific installation, view from the exhibition Yaya Sergileri I: Kişisel Coğrafyalar, Küresel Haritalar [Pedestrian Exhibitions I: Personal Geographies, Global Maps], Nişantaşı (Istanbul), 2002 Salt Research, Fulya Erdemci Archive

Sağda: Fuat Şahinler, Murat Şahinler, Ayten Başdemir, and Yakup Çetinkaya, Bu da geçer ya hu [This too shall pass], installation view from the exhibition Yaya Sergileri II: Tünel-Karaköy, Karaköy (Istanbul), 2005 Salt Research, Fulya Erdemci Archive

Fulya Erdemci Archive at Salt Research can be accessed through the link.