Ayca Okay

Ayca Okay born in Izmir, is an AICA Turkey, CIMAM, and ICOM member curator, cultural strategist, and writer working at the intersection of research-based practices and contemporary art. Her holistic curatorial approach emphasizes fostering intellectual resources, and sustainable support systems through collaborations with individuals, communities, and institutions. Focusing on the SWANA and European regions, Okay spotlights projects that blur traditional boundaries of art, reframing it as a product of processes involving ideas, theories, and experimental approaches.

Since 2018, she has curated and managed exhibitions and collections for institutions including Baksı Museum, Borusan Contemporary, Contemporary Istanbul Foundation, Yves Rocher Foundation, Vorfluter Projektraum Berlin, Scope Berlin, and Somos Arts Berlin. She has also managed art projects in corporations such as Turkish Airlines, SANKO, and QNB Finansbank. Previously, she was the Art Programs Director at Contemporary Istanbul Foundation and, since 2022, a scout and advisor for LOOP Barcelona Video Art Fair.

Ayca Okay was invited to the International Curators’ Visit Program, where she researched the Northern Art Ecosystem in Oslo and the EMST Museum Collection in Athens. She was also one of the 20 finalists participating in the Crack International Art Camp in the Kusthia region of Bangladesh. Supported by SAHA, she is one of the three young female curators granted membership to CIMAM (International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art).