Problems and solutions in presenting contemporary art collections to audiences by means of exhibitions in the museums

Towards the end of the 20th century, some radical changes occurred in the cultural, social, economic and political fields and also in art with the developments in technology. In this context, new means and media, which combine different disciplines, have led to the transformation in artworks. Thus digital and technology based art has emerged. Along with the transformation in artworks, radical changes have occurred in the concept of museology and curatorial practices. The conservation, documentation and exhibition of contemporary artworks are new fields of study in Turkey. Some problems occur in presenting contemporary art collections to audiences by means of curatorial practices and the need for adoption of new means of approaches and methods has emerged accordingly. In this thesis, in the light of these developments, the changes in art, museums and curatorial practices are examined and the roles of the main actors in presenting contemporary art collections to audiences are clarified. Current situation in Turkey and relevant problems are recognized in the interviews with the artists, curators and conservators/restorers and solution proposals are suggested. In this way, the subject is discussed both theoretically and practically which enables this study to make a contribution to the literature authentically. An overall assessment is made through problems and solution proposals and in the conclusion, "process management system" necessary to manage the presenting process of the contemporary artworks both properly and efficiently is derived as a solution. This thesis, with the proposal of a process management system, serves as a guide for the contemporary art museums open for visitors now and also the ones which are planned to be established in the future. Keywords: contemporary art works, contemporary art museums, collection, curatorial practices, process management system.