Author-Editor Conversations
Ayşe Hazar Köksal, Didem Bayındır, and Tarkan Okçuoğlu

In collaboration with Pera Museum and Atlas Publishing Lab, "Author-Editor Conversations" introduces Ayşe Hazar Köksal, compiler of the book History of Art in Türkiye: Museum, alongside Tarkan Okçuoğlu, a contributor to the book, and Didem Bayındır, the book's editor. 

“The first book in the "History of Art in Turkey" series, titled "Museum," endeavors to contribute to a diverse art historiography by delving into topics that not only shape Turkish art but also form the foundation for discussions on the institutionalization of art. It explores theoretical and critical perspectives on art museums within various historical contexts. The book aims to engage a broad audience, reaching not only professionals but also art enthusiasts, collectors viewing art as an investment, sponsors, institutions recognizing the communicative power of art, and the growing community of museum enthusiasts and employees.”
(History of Art in Türkiye: Museum, back cover blurb) 

The event, taking place at Pera Museum Auditorium, is in Turkish and is free of charge. No reservations are taken.

Ayşe H. Köksal
Associate Professorspecializes in history. She serves as a faculty member at Özyeğin University, Faculty of Architecture and Design. After earning her degree from Boğaziçi University in History, she completed her master's thesis at ITU and Maastricht University. She obtained her PhD in Art History from ITU. She is a member of the College Arts Association. With her recent publication, Art and Sculpture Museum: A Story of Existence, released byİletişim Publishing, Art/Life Series, Köksal'sresearch centers around art museums, the organization of the art world, and the interplay between museum, space, and memory.

Didem Bayındır
Born in Istanbul in 1984. She graduated from Kadıköy Anatolian High School and Istanbul University, Faculty of Political Sciences, with a major in International Relations. Completing her master's degree in political theory at The London School of Economics and Political Science, Bayındır earned her PhD in the same field at the University of Warwick. Bayındır's focus revolves around the idea of individual autonomy and freedom. Her compilation works include Pandemic: Rethinking the World in the Age of Extinction (2020) and Ecology: The Future of Coexistence (2022, with Mine Yıldırım). She serves as the managing editor of Can Publishing's Contemporary and Thought series and Tellekt.

Tarkan Okçuoğlu
Born in İstanbul in 1968. Graduating from Galatasaray High School in 1987, Okçuğlu completed his studies at Istanbul University, Faculty of Letters, Department of Archeology and Art History in 1992. At the same institution, he earned his master's degree in 1995 and completed his PhD in 2000 with a thesis titled “The Understanding of Imagery in Ottoman Wall Paintings" during the 18th and 19th centuries. Achieving the title of associate professor in 2012 in the field of Turkish and Islamic Art, Okçuoğlu was appointed as a professor in 2019. In addition to Istanbul University Faculty of Letters, he taught art history at Galatasaray High School, Galatasaray University and Marmara University Department of Fine Arts.

His work focused on visual culture and architecture in the late Ottoman period. In 2020, his bookBetween Imagination and Reality: The Imagery of Istanbul in Ottoman Painting was published. He is currently working as the head of the Department of Turkish and Islamic Art at I.U. Department of Art History. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the American Research Institute in Türkiye (ARİT).