Artist-curated exhibitions in the exhibition history of Turkey

This study focused on exhibitions organized and curated by artists in the history of exhibitions in Turkey. Along with the proposition to think and discuss about the concept of "exhibition" and "the history of exhibitions" which are not emphasized enough in the local art environment, the artists' exhibition practices in the field of curatorship starting from the second half of the 19th century to the present were examined. The exhibitions, which are the spatial arrangements that institutionalize the public life of the work of art in its most general definition, have been transformed into tools for producing discourses today, while their essential and only meaning was to display following of artistic production and centering upon selection and presenting actions since their origins in the 15th century. The artist-curator is presented as a different model of the curatorial profession created by this transformation as of the 1990s. However, artists had existed in the history of exhibitions and art history as actors producing ideas on exhibiting art long before the 1970s when curatorship became popular in the world and the 1990s when it was recognized as a profession. This thesis examined this idea in detail in the case of Turkey by briefly touching upon its similar status in the world as well. Since the beginning of the history of the exhibitions, the artist's interest in exhibitions, the institutionalization of curatorship and the existence of numerous artists who have focused on exhibition practices as well as artistic practices have all created a model named "artist-curator". Today, there is a plethora of artist-curators who organize exhibitions in various collaborations or for biennials and museums. The research focusing on the exhibitions organized by the artist- curators constitutes an important area in the history of exhibitions and, therefore, in the history of art. Keywords: exhibition history, artist-curated exhibition, artist-curator, artist as curator, exhibition, history of exhibitions, curator, art history