Left to right: Başak Doğa Temür and Nilbar Güreş. Images courtesy the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts.
The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) has announced Nilbar Güreş as the representative of the Türkiye Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, curated by Başak Doğa Temür.
Güreş, a multidisciplinary artist known for her sharp yet poetic reflections on social issue, was unanimously selected by an advisory board compromising of art historian Ceren Özpınar and curators Chus Martínez, Öykü Özsoy Sağnak and Ulya Soley.
Born in 1977 and rooted in both Kurdish and Turkish heritage, Güreş’s works across various media ranging from performance and video to fabric and collages and sculpture. Her art reflects intimate personal stories while engaging with larger themes such as gender roles, cultural memory and social inequality, often centering marginalised communities. The artist’s approach aligns with the biennial’s theme, In Minor Keys, envisioned by the late Koyo Kouoh, which spotlights the resilience and subtle disruptions of dominant narratives.
The pavilion will be curated by Başak Doğa Temür, who has an extensive background in Türkiye’s contemporary art scene. She was previously with Istanbul’s Arter Museum for ten years and was a part of the curatorial team and artistic programme board. Temür was also played a role in the founding process of Arter, as well as Istanbul Modern in the 2000s. She currently teaches at Istanbul Bilgi university.
The 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia runs from 9 May to 22 November 2026.
