about
2015 to Present
an alternative art education program
NESIN ART VILLAGE
Işın Önol
1977 Turkey, Lives and works in New York
contact: isin(at)isinonol.com
Isin Önol is a curator and writer based in New York. She currently serves as the Director of Curatorial Research at the School of Visual Arts, Curatorial Practice MA Program. Since 2009, she has worked as an independent curator, primarily in the USA, Austria, and Turkey. Before that, she led the Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art Istanbul as its director and curator for three years. (2006-2009)
Between 2014 and 2023, Önol was a research scholar at the Center for the Study of Social Difference at Columbia University, and a member of Women Mobilizing Memory, a multiyear feminist collaboration bringing together an interdisciplinary group of scholars, artists, and activists from Chile, Turkey, and the United States. As part of this initiative, she co-curated multiple exhibitions, including Collaborative Archives: Connective Histories (New York) and Mobilizing Memory (Istanbul, Vienna, and Madrid). Her research focuses on interconnecting archival information with oral histories to create platforms for collective memory through collaborative art practices. Önol is the co-founder and director of the Nesin Art Village, an independent art school in Şirince, Turkey.
Her recent exhibitions include Bilgé: Lifespan of a Horizontal Line (New York), Imagine Repair (New York), A Knot in the Throat (Vienna), Thinking Food Futures (New York), The New Human Agenda (Istanbul), and When Home Won’t Let You Stay (Vienna). She co-curated the Sinopale International Sinop Biennial Editions 4, 5, and 8 (2012, 2014, and 2021). She has organized over 60 exhibitions internationally, publishing extensively on the intersection of social justice and art. She has been invited to co-curate the 2025 edition of the Vienna Art Week, taking place from November 7 to 14, 2025.
From February 2022 to July 2023 she worked as a guest professor and curator at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna. Between September 2017 and May 2021 she worked as a visiting critic and lecturer at the MFA and BFA programs at Montclair State University, New Jersey. In 2016-2017, she worked as a visiting curator and critic in the Social Design – Art as Urban Innovation MA Program at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria. In 2014-2015 Önol worked as a guest lecturer at the Department of Digital Art at University of Applied Arts and as a guest curator at the Schauraum-Angewandte, Quartier21, MuseumsQuartier, Vienna. Besides regular teaching appointments, she gave number of lectures at School of Visual Arts, NY; New York University, NY; Parson School of Arts and Columbia University as well as various programs at Vienna University of Applied Arts, Austria.
In 2014 she was a curator in residency at Residency Unlimited, New York. She is a member of AICA-TR and IKT among other cultural organizations and associations. Isin Önol has been elected twice to the Board of Directors of Roberto Cimetta Fund for the periods between 2018-2021 and 2021-2024. She’s been serving as the Art Advisor to the Steering Commitee of International Fair Trial Day and the Ebru Timtik Award since 2022.
Önol is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Cultural Studies, University of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria. She has completed her Master of Advance Studies on Curating at ZHdK, Zürcher Hochschule der Kunst, Zürich, Switzerland (2009-2011). She participated in Ecole du Magasin, International Curatorial Training Programme, Centre National d’Art Contemporain, Grenoble, France and the Gwangju Biennale International Curator Course, Gwangju, South Korea (2009). She received her MFA in Visual Arts and Visual Communication Design from Sabanci University (2003), and her BA in Art Education from Marmara University (2000), Istanbul, Turkey.
ASSOCIATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS:
- Board Member, Roberta Cimetta Fund (first term: 2018-2021; second term: 2021-2024)
- Steering Group’s Art Advisor, International Fair Trial Day and the Ebru Timtik Award (Since 2022)
- Steering Committee Member, Research Institute on Turkey (2020 to Present)
- Member, Columbia University Center for the Study of Social Difference (2014 to Present)
- Member, Roberto Cimetta Fund (2013-2018)
- Member, IKT—International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art (2015 to Present)
- Curatorial Member, Artist Pension Trust (2015-2017)
- Curatorial Committee Member, TRIAD—Towards Regional Integration of Artistic Development (2013 to 2017)
- Member, AICA-Turkey (2009 to Present)
- Board Member, Apartment Project Istanbul (2008-2014)
Önol was a curator in residence, at Residency Unlimited, NY in October 2014.
JURIES AND PORTFOLIO REVIEWS:
- Member of the Selection Committee, IKSV, SaDe, Istanbul (2022-2023)
- Juror, Apex Art New York City Open Call, NY (2023-2024)
- Member of the Selection Committee, Rotary Art Fund, Istanbul (2021-ongoing)
- Member of the Selection Committee, Rotary Art Competition, Istanbul (2016-2021)
- Member of the Selection Committee, “Food Futures“, Residency Unlimited, NY (2020)
- Expert of the Selection Committee, Roberta Cimetta Fund (2018-2021)
- Portfolio Reviews, Residency Unlimited, NY (2013-2019)
- Portfolio Review, Transart Institute, NY (2019)
- Member of the Selection Committee —Selection of the participants to ISCP, NY, University of Fine Arts, Helsinki (2018)
- Selection and Public Conservations with Artists, Open Studio Day —Vienna Art Week, Vienna (2017)
- Portfolio Review, Nars Foundation, NY (2017)
- Portfolio Review, TransArts Department, University of Applied Arts, Vienna (2016)
- Member of the Selection Committee, Siemens Borders and Orbits, Art Competition, Istanbul (2015)
- Head of the Selection Committee, Young Fresh Different, Gallery Zilberman, Istanbul (2015)
Other inviting residency programs for portfolio reviews include: ISCP – International Studio & Curatorial Program, NY; Pioneer Works, NY; Abrons Art Center, NY
PRIMARY RESEARCH INTERESTS:
- Narrating, communicating, and reactivating archives and oral histories through exhibitions.
- Generating effective strategies for audience engagement and active participation in exhibition projects.
- Creating artistic and political platforms for collective memory as alternative histories to official narratives.
- Communicating the problems around the notions of diversity, community engagement, participation, discrimination, and otherness.
- Developing platforms for interrogating and problematizing the existing forms of art education, seeking for innovative methods and tools that are relevant to art production and its problems today.
EXHIBITIONS:
| NOVEMBER 2025 | VIENNA ART WEEK: LEARNING SYSTEMS |
| FEBRUARY – APRIL, 2023 | BILGÉ: LIFESPAN OF A HORIZONTAL LINE SAPAR CONTEMPORARY, New York |
| DECEMBER – JUNE, 2022 | THE WONDROUS DEPOSITS OF UNFINISHED THREADS As part of SINOPALE 8, 8TH International Sinop Biennale |
| APRIL – MAY, 2022 | IMAGINE REPAIR: ZIP CODE MEMORY PROJECT Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York |
| SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER, 2021 | A KNOT IN THE THROAT: FORAGING FOR A VANISHING PRESENT Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna |
| JANUARY – JUNE, 2021 | THINKING FOOD FUTURES Online Exhibition, Hosted by Residency Unlimited, New York |
| JUNE 2019 | WOMEN MOBILIZING MEMORY: ARTS OF INTERVENTION Moncloa Campus, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain |
| JUNE – JULY, 2019 | PREMIO NEW YORK Italian Cultural Institute, New York |
| APRIL – MAY, 2019 | THE NEW HUMAN AGENDA Akbank Sanat, Istanbul |
| APRIL – MAY, 2018 | UNLEASHING PROJECT Columbia University, Teachers College, New York |
| MAY 2018 | FRAGILITY OF _KIN Montclair State University, College of Arts, MFA Show, Chelsea, New York |
| MARCH – APRIL, 2018 | CONTINUITY AND RUPTURE: AN ARMENIAN FAMILY ODYSSEY REVISITED Brand Library & Art Center, Glendale, LA |
| MARCH – MAY, 2018 | NONLINEAR HISTORIES: TRANSGENERATIONAL MEMORY OF TRAUMA Downtown Central Library in Glendale | ReflectSpace Gallery, Glendale, LA |
| MARCH – MAY, 2018 | PROSPERITY, LOSS, AND SURVIVAL: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY fROM THE DILDILIAN FAMILY ARCHIVE Downtown Central Library | PassageWay, Glendale, LA |
| DECEMBER 2017 – JANUARY 2018 | CONTINUITY AND RUPTURE: PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE DILDILIAN FAMILY ARCHIVE Columbia University, International Affairs Building 4th Floor Gallery, New York |
| NOVEMBER 2017 | CULTIVATED MEMORY: ARCHAEOLOGIES OF THE IMAGINED Peninsula Art Space, 352 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn, NY |
| SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER, 2017 | BLACK NOISE Akbank Sanat, Istanbul, Turkey |
| SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER, 2017 | HOME IS A PLACE CALLED NEVER: DIDEM ERK Gallery X-ist, Istanbul, Turkey |
| MARCH – APRIL, 2017 | ARE YOU STILL ALIVE? – VOICES OF CONSCIENCE AT A TIME OF SILENCING Steirische Kultur Initiative, Graz, Austria |
| FEBRUARY 2017 | ONLINE TUESDAYS//PROJECT FORGIVENESS: VITA ERUHIMOVITZ & RONIT LEVIN DELGADO Chashama, New York |
| NOVEMBER – DECEMBER, 2016 | ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?: BERAT ISIK DEPO, Istanbul, Turkey |
| OCTOBER 2016 – JANUARY, 2017 | WORDS NUMBERS LINES: BILGE FRIEDLAENDER ARTER; Istanbul, Turkey |
| 30 0CT – 08 DECEMBER 2016 | A LIFE OVERFLOWING: AZIZ NESIN 1915-2015 Cankaya Municipality Center for Contemporary Art, Ankara, Turkey |
| MAY 2016 | WHEN HOME WON’T LET YOU STAY Angewandte, Heiligenkreuzer Hof, Vienna |
| APRIL – MAY, 2016 | SHADOW COMMUNITIES in der Kubatur des Kabinetts der Kunstsalon im Fluc, Vienna |
| DECEMBER 2015 – JANUARY, 2016 | A LIFE OVERFLOWING: AZIZ NESIN 1915-2015 Adnan Saygun Art Center, Izmir, Turkey |
| NOVEMBER 2015 – JANUARY, 2016 | A LIFE OVERFLOWING: AZIZ NESIN 1915-2015 Nilüfer Belediyesi Nazim Hikmet Kültürevi, Bursa, Turkey |
| SEPTEMBER 2015 | COLLABORATIVE ARCHIVES: CONVECTIVE HISTORIES LeRoy Neiman Gallery, Columbia University, NYC, USA |
| JUNE – JULY, 2015 | A LIFE OVERFLOWING: AZIZ NESIN 1915-2015 DEPO, Istanbul, Turkey |
| MARCH – APRIL, 2015 | MOBILIZING MEMORY – VIENNA KUNSTHALLE EXNERGASSE, Vienna, Austria |
| FEBRUARY, 2015 | DISSONANCE: TRANSGRESSED BOUNDARIES BETWEEN DESIRE AND FEAR PERCEPT ART, Mumbai, India |
| DECEMBER 2014 – JANUARY, 2015 | FINALLY FEELING FINE: PINAR YOLDAS SCHAURAUM, MuseumsQuartier, Vienna Austria |
| SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER, 2014 | MOBILIZING MEMORY: WOMEN WITNESSING DEPO, Istanbul, Turkey |
| JULY – AUGUST, 2014 | SINOPALE 5: CLUSTERS AND CRYSTALS: OBSERVING AT POINT ZERO 5th International Sinop Biennale, Sinop, Turkey |
| JUNE – AUGUST, 2014 | STROKE: ALİ MİHARBİ SCHAURAUM, MuseumsQuartier, Vienna Austria |
| MAY – JUNE, 2014 | THE UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS: OLIVIER HÖLZL OBEN, Vienna, Austria |
| MAY – JUNE, 2014 | ELECTRICKLE: MIRKO LAZOVIĆ SCHAURAUM, Museums Quartier, Vienna, Austria |
| APRIL – MAY, 2014 | LEARNED HELPLESSNESS: ON AUTHORITY, OBEDIENCE, AND CONTROL, MUSE Istanbul |
| JANUARY – FEBRUARY, 2014 | OPEN SYSTEMS 1-01-04/13 GPL CONTEMPORARY, Vienna, Austria |
| JANUARY – FEBRUARY, 2014 | INATTENTIONAL BLINDNESS Galeri Zilberman+, Istanbul, Turkey |
| MAY – JULY, 2013 | GPL Contemporary, Vienna, Austria |
| APRIL – JUNE, 2013 | WITH/IN/SIGNIFICANT OTHER Open Systems, Vienna, Austria |
| SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER, 2012 | TACTICAL TOPICS – TOPICAL TACTICS Media-Scape Biennale, Zagreb, Croatia |
| AUGUST – SEPTEMBER, 2012 | SINOPALE 4: WISDOM OF SHADOW: ART IN THE ERA OF CORRUPTED INFORMATION 4th International Sinop Biennale, Sinop, Turkey |
| JUNE, 2012 | IN GROWING UP AMID THE HISTORICAL MYSTERIES OF PROXIMITY: PROS & CONS OF BEING NEIGHBOURS ITS-Z1, Belgrade, Serbia |
| MARCH, 2012 | EMBEDDEDINVISIBLE hu-fAk:off space, Vienna, Austria |
| JANUARY – FEBRUARY, 2012 | INVISIBLE CITY – TECHNOLOGIES OF THE BODY Wäsherei-Kunstverein Zurich, Switzerland |
| JUNE, 2011 | FASCINATIONS WITH CAST SHADOWS: ARTISTIC AND CURATORIAL PERSPECTIVES RE-VISITED (As a part of the MAS Curating degree show, ZHdK) White Space, Zurich, Switzerland |
| OCTOBER – DECEMBER, 2010 | HANDLE WITH CARE Uni-Credit Studio, Milan, Italy |
| JUNE – AUGUST, 2009 | SERIOUSLY IRONIC: POSITIONS IN TURKISH CONTEMPORARY ART SCENE Centre Pasquart, Biel, Switzerland |
| MAY – JUNE, 2009 | GETTING EVEN Sabanci University Kasa Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey |
| DECEMBER 2008 – FEBRUARY, 2009 | PRIVACY La Giarina Arte Contemporanea, Verona, Italy |
| OCTOBER – NOVEMBER, 2008 | ACCUMULATED: PUT ASIDE, LEFT ASIDE 5533, Istanbul, Turkey |
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| From June 2006 to June 2009, she worked as the Director/Curator of Proje4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art and participated in the following projects: | |
| MAY – AUGUST, 2008 | THE SUBLIME FIGURES OF LEAPING HEART SELECTION OF A. OZTOPRAK’S PAINTINGS FROM ELGIZ COLLECTION Venue: Ca’ Pesaro Museum of Modern Art, Venice Curator: Necmi Sönmez Project Manager: Isin Önol (catalogue available) |
| MARCH – JUNE, 2008 | L’ALBA DI DOMANI / THE DOWN OF TOMORROW SELECTED CONTEMPORARY ARTWORK FROM ITALIAN COLLECTIONS Venue: Proje 4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art Artists: Vanessa Beecroft, Letizia Cariello, Paolo Chiasera, Cuoghi Corsello, Flavio Favelli , Francesco Jodice, Adrian Paci, Antonio Riello, Vedovamazzei, Francesco Vezzoli, Loris Cecchini, Flavio Favelli, Fausto Gilberti Curators: Isin Önol & Dr. Vittorio Urbani (catalogue available) |
| DECEMBER, 2007 | POETICS OF SPACE: OZTOPRAK AND HIS GENERATION Venue: Proje4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art, Istanbul (In collaboration with: Museum Folkwang, Jozef Albers Museum; Kunstmuseum Bochum, Germany) Artists: Josef Albers, Antonio Calderara, Piero Dorazio, Julie Kniefer, Heinz Mack, Abdurrahman Öztoprak, Bridget Riley, Pierre Soulages, Zdenek Sykora, Ryszard Winiarski Curator: Necmi Sönmez Project Manager: Isin Önol (catalogue available) |
| OCTOBER – DECEMBER, 2007 | OVERTURES ISTANBUL Venue: Artvarium (Project Space), Proje4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art, Istanbul Artists: Genco Gülan, Kalle Laar, Orhan Cem Çetin, Rúrí, Silvia Erdem, Silver & Hanne Rivrud Curator: Marcus Graf Project Manager: Isin Önol |
| SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER, 2007 | IMAGE-TRACE Venue: Artvarium (Project Space), Proje4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art, Istanbul Artist: Burcu Yagcioglu Curator: Isin Önol |
| JULY – SEPTEMBER, 2007 | AND Venue: Artvarium (Project Space), Proje4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art, Istanbul Artist: Nancy Atakan Curator: Isin Önol |
| May – JULY, 2007 | OVERJOYED ONES Venue: Artvarium (Project Space), Proje4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art, Istanbul Artist: Muruvvet Turkyilmaz Curator: Isin Önol |
| OCTOBER, 2006 – MARCH, 2007 | MELTEMOFISTANBUL EMERGING GERMAN AND TURKISH ARTISTS FROM THE ELGIZ COLLECTION Venue: Main Hall, Proje4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art, Istanbul Curator: Necmi Sönmez Project Manager: Isin Önol (catalogue available) |
| JUNE – AUGUST, 2006 | BORDELLO Venue: Artvarium (Project Space), Proje4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art, Istanbul Artist: Sukran Moral Project Manager: Isin Önol |
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
| 2024 | |
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Yasemin Özcan: Wet Floor
English, September 2024 Arter Publications Editors: Eda Berkmen ve Süreyyya Evren ISBN: 978-605-73355-7-9 |
İpek Duben: The Skin, Body, and I English, March 2024 Salt/Garanti Kültür A.Ş. (Istanbul), Mousse Publishing (Milan) Editor: Vasıf Kortun |
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| 2022 | |
| Mario Rizzi: Bayt Softcover, September 2022 Bilingual edition (English / Italian) Nero Publishers The volume is co-produced by the Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato. |
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| 2021 | |
| A Knot in the Throat: Foraging for a Vanishing Present Softcover, October 2021 English WUK/Kunsthalle Exnergasse |
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| 2020 | |
| Maja Vukoje. On the Edge Paperback, November 2020 Verlag der Buchhandlung Walter und Franz König Editor: Luisa Ziaja |
Structures of Displacement Paperback, November 2020 Birkhäuser Basel Editors: Baerbel Mueller, Frida Robles |
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| 2019 | |
| Women Mobilizing Memory Paperback, August 2019, Columbia University Press Editors: Ayşe Gül Altınay, María José Contreras, Marianne Hirsch, Jean Howard, Banu Karaca, and Alisa Solomon |
Ne Oralı Ne Buralı (Turkish) Paperback, August 2019 Karakarga Publications Istanbul, Turkey Editor: Işıl Öz |
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| 2018 | |
| Authoritarianism and Resistance in Turkey: Conversations on Democratic and Social Challenges Hardcover – July 23, 2018, Springer Publishing Editors: Esra Özyürek, Gaye Özpınar, Emrah Altındis |
MEDIATIONS: SUSAN MEISELAS Hardcover, March 2018, Paris Fundació Antoni Tàpies, Jeu de Paume, Damiani, SFMOMA Editor: Pia Viewing |
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| 2017 | |
| ENDLESS BODIES OF WORK: RICHARD JOCHUM September 2017 , Austrian Frederick and Lilian Kiesler Private Foundation Vienna, Austria Editors: Isin Önol & Richard Jochum |
A LIFE OVERFLOWING Aziz Nesin 1915 – 2015 UNWRITTEN AUTOBIOGRAPHY Hardcover, September 2015, Istanbul, Turkey Editors: Esin Pervane & Salih Bora |
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| 2016 | |
| WORDS NUMBERS LINES BILGE FRIEDLAENDER October 2016 ARTER Istanbul, Turkey Editor: Sureyya Evren |
WHEN HOME WON’T LET YOU STAY Manuel Print, May 2016, Angewandte, Heiligenkreuzerhof Vienna, Austria Editor: Isin Önol |
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| 2015 | |
| MOTHER TONGUE: A visual journey inside heritage, gender politics and war Hardcover , 2015 Oslo, Norway Editor: Frida Rusnak |
The Challenges of Mobility: Research, Debates and Practices Hardcover, July 01, 2105, Cambridge Scholars Publishing Editors: Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio, Serene Huleileh |
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EXHIBITION CATALOGUES
| 2018-2019 | ||
| THE NEW HUMAN AGENDA (In Progress – 2019) April 2019 Akbank Sanat Istanbul |
NONLINEAR HISTORIES: TRANSGENERATIONAL MEMORY OF TRAUMA March 2018 Reflect Art Space, Glandale, LA |
Fragility of _kin Montclair State University College of Arts MFA Program Studio Art Thesis Show American Medium Gallery, NY |
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| 2017-2018 | ||
| UNLEASHING (In Progress – 2018) Columbia University Teachers College, NY |
BLACK NOISE September 2017 Akbank Sanat, Istanbul |
HOME IS A PLACE CALLED NEVER: DIDEM ERK September 2017 X-Ist, Istanbul |
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| 2015 | ||
| A LIFE OVERFLOWING Aziz Nesin 1915 – 2015 UNWRITTEN AUTOBIOGRAPHY Hardcover, September 2015, Istanbul |
UNWRITTEN AUTOBIOGRAPHY AZIZ NESIN 1925 – 2015 June 2015 Depo Istanbul, Turkey |
YAZILMAMIS ÖZYASAMÖYKÜSÜ: AZIZ NESIN 1915-2015 June 2015 Depo Istanbul, Turkey |
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| 2015 | ||
| WOMEN MOBILIZING MEMORY COLLABORATIVE ARCHIVES: CONNECTIVE HISTORIES September 2015 LeRoy Neiman Gallery, NY |
MOBILIZING MEMORY – VIENNA March 2015 Kunsthalle Exnergasse Vienna, Austria |
MOBILIZING MEMORY – VIENNA (Booklet) March 2015 Kunsthalle Exnergasse Vienna, Austria |
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| 2014 | ||
| MOBILIZING MEMORY: WOMEN WITNESSING September 2014 Depo Istanbul, Turkey |
LEARNED HELPLESSNESS: ON AUTHORITY, OBEDIENCE, AND CONTROL April 2014, Muse, Istanbul, Turkey |
INATTENTIONAL BLINDNESS January 2014 Galeri Zilberman, Istanbul, Turkey |
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| 2008-2014 | ||
| TACTICAL TOPICS TOPICAL TACTICS September 2012 Media-Scape Biennale, Zagreb, Croatia |
SERIOUSLY IRONIC: POSITIONS IN TURKISH CONTEMPORARY ART SCENE June 2009 Biel, Center Pasquart, Switzerland |
L’ALBA DI DOMANI / THE DOWN OF TOMORROW March 2008, Elgiz Museum Istanbul, Turkey |
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“Işın Önol”, “ışın önol” “Isin Önol” “Isin Onol”