Istanbul Design Biennial unveils curator

ISTANBUL

Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (KSV), the fifth Istanbul Design Biennial will take place from Sept. 26 to Nov. 8. The biennial will be curated by architect and curator Mariana Pestana. 

Pestana, who works between Porto and London, is one of the co-founders of The Decorators, an interdisciplinary practice that makes collaborative public realm interventions and cultural programs. Her personal interest lies in critical social practice and the role of fiction in re-imagining futures for an age marked by technological progress and an ecological crisis. 

She has previously worked as a curator at the Department of Architecture, Design and Digital at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). Her academic career has led her to teach at institutions such as Central Saint Martins, Chelsea College of Arts and Royal College of Arts. She holds a doctorate degree in architecture from the Bartlett School of Architecture.

“Pestana’s passionate approach will be beneficial to the biennial in many ways, and her critical reflections on contemporary issues and inquiries into fictional futures are quite intriguing. We believe that she will put all her soul into turning this edition into a memorable one and relish the opportunity to extend the collaborative approach of the Istanbul Design Biennial,” Istanbul Design Biennial’s advisory board said in a statement. 

The advisory board members include Jan Boelen, curator of the fourth Istanbul Design Biennial and newly appointed rector of the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design; Carlos Mínguez Carrasco, senior curator at ArkDes – Swedish Center for Architecture and Design; Selva Gürdoğan, partner at SUPERPOOL – International Multidisciplinary Design Studio; Catherine Ince, curator of the V&A East project; and Amelie Klein, independent curator and writer.