Nergis Abıyeva (1991) is a feminist art historian, curator, writer, and director of Quick Art Space, a non-profit art foundation in Istanbul. Alongside her professional activities, she continues her PhD studies in the Art History department at Istanbul Technical University. Upon the completion of her undergraduate studies at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSU), Department of Art History and Brera Academy in Milan, Abıyeva received her Master’s degree with her thesis titled “Tiraje Dikmen’s Art and Life” from MSGSU Western Art and Contemporary Art. In 2017, she received a SALT Research Grant for her research on “Tiraje Dikmen in the Context of Painters Who Travelled to Paris in the 1950s”. Between 2015 and 2017, Abıyeva worked for Maçka Art Gallery’s 40th Anniversary projects and contributed to archive exhibitions. Between 2017 and 2020, she worked as a researcher for a private collection and Arter.
Since 2015, she wrote catalogue texts for artists and her exhibition/book reviews and interviews have been published in Turkish and English in periodicals such as Argonotlar, Sanat Dünyamız, Varlık, PRŌTOCOLLUM, Borusan Blog, Istanbul Art News, Birikim, Global Art Daily. In 2022, Abıyeva penned a monography titled Çağdaş Resmin Dervişi [The Dervish of Contemporary Painting] on the life and work of artist Murat Sinkil. She wrote about female artists from Turkey such as Tiraje Dikmen, Mihri Rasim, and Gülçin Aksoy for the AWARE platform. Among the group exhibitions she curated are “Significant News and Urban Legends” (Bilsart, 2024), “Constructed Nature” (Quick Art Space, 2023), “Mental Imaginary Things not Actually Present ” (Summart, 2022), “Another Atlas of Women Artists” (Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Centre, 2022), “Marvelous correspondences, subtle resemblances” (Mixer, 2021). In 2023, she curated Gülçin Aksoy’s “Medal of Compassion” (Merdiven Art Space) and Benal Dikmen’s solo exhibitions “Trojan Women” and “Helen’s Double Life” (Troy Museum, Manfred Osman Library).
She teaches the course “Art Marketing” at Yıldız Technical University. In the summer of 2023, she received a scholarship from Salzburg Academy and participated in the workshop “Taking a Position: Art & Writing” by Jennifer Higgie.
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