The Impact of Contemporary Artists who moved from Turkey on the Dutch Art Ecosystem

This intensive research entitled “The Impact of Contemporary Artists who moved from Turkey on the Dutch Art Ecosystem” officially started and has been conducted by independent curator and researcher Nesli Gül at the beginning of 2021, funded by Mondriaan Fonds and supported by the Netherlands Institute in Turkey. 

This research aims to examine the impact and contribution of contemporary artists and their artistic development, who moved from Turkey, on the Dutch art ecosystem by revealing, comparing, and assessing how their representation, participation and practices change and expand from the late 1980s to the present. The research tackles the themes of memory, artistic identity, migration, and networks of artistic patronage by integrating traditional art historical research with critical views of Deleuze and Guattari, neo-Gramscian and relevant theories in the field of contemporary art and archive.

The research is based on the various personal and institutional archival materials -written and visual materials, moving images and audio records- that hold crucial records on the personal viewpoints and representation of artists and how they are perceived by the Dutch art scene. A few examples of notable personal and institutional archives include the personal archive of artist Bülent Evren, Gate Foundation Archive at the Van Abbemuseum, Rijksakademie, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, SALT Galata (Istanbul), and the Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision (BeeldenGeluid).

Interviews with artists and art professionals as well as extensive research in archives and collections of art institutions show their artistic progress and fresh perspective on critical issues in the Dutch Art Ecosystem. Filling an enormous gap in the research field due to a lack of literature and very limited research, this work contributes to a better understanding of collections and archives in the Dutch institutional landscape as well as to the non-canonical art history, cultural diversity and transcultural dialog in the Netherlands.


Curator, Researcher, and Initiator of the project `The Impact of Contemporary Artists, who moved from Turkey, on Dutch Art Ecosystem:

Nesli Gül 

The research project is supported by several institutions and funds:

Mondriaan Fonds – Curator Beschouwer, Netherlands Institute in Turkey, International Institute of Social History, Van Abbemuseum, Framer Framed, Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, The Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision – BeeldenGeluid