Beral Madra
Beral Madra is a critic and curator. Madra directed Gallery BM from1984 until 1990, and since 1990 she has been directing BM Contemporary Art Centre. She is the founding partner and artistic director of Kuad Gallery (2012). She lives and works in Istanbul.
Madra coordinated the 1st (1987) and the 2nd (1989) Istanbul Biennale, curated the Pavilion of Turkey in 43rd, 45th, 49th, 50th and 51st Venice Biennale, co-curated the exhibition Modernities and Memories: Recent Works from the Islamic World in 47th Venice Biennale. She was the director of Visual Arts in Istanbul Culture Capital of Europe (2008-2010).
Since 1984 she has organised more than 250 local and international artists in her art centre and in other official art spaces in Istanbul. She curated and co-curated over 20 international group shows including Atmosphere 41 Contemporary Art from Georgia, Siemens Art Gallery, Istanbul (2007); Opening of BM-Suma, Visual Art Centre. Istanbul; Bahçesaray, Crimea, Contemporary Art Exhibition (Turkey, Greece, Russia, Ukraine) (2008); Neighbours in Dialogue Exhibition, Sarajevo (2008); A week of Art and Culture from Turkey, Pamplona (Huarte Contemporary Art Center), Spain (2008); Istanbul Diptychs, Istanbul Centre in Brussels (2008); Contemporary Art Collection for Point Hotel, Istanbul (2009); Interstices, Central Asia Pavilion, 53rd Venice Biennale, (2009); Next Wave, Exhibition of 17 Women Artists from Turkey, Berlin Academy Pariser Platz (2009); 2010-2011 Cityscapes, Lothringer 13, Munich and Istanbul Siemens Art Gallery; 2011 Advisory Curator of the Pavilion of Azerbaijan at 54th Venice Biennale; 2011 A Conceptual Heritage: Vanguard Exhibitions, 1980-1990, Antik A? Artam Art Gallery; co-curated ANTEPRIMA, 6 Video Artists from Turkey and Italy, ICI, Istanbul; 2012 curated the exhibition of Aidan Salakhova in Moscow Museum of Modern Art.
Her involvement in publications include Identity of Contemporary Art (1987), Post-peripheral Flux-A Decade of Contemporary Art in Istanbul (1996); Iki Yilda Bir Sanat (Art Every Two Years- Essays on Biennale), Norgunk Yayincilik, 2003; Neighbours in Dialogue, Norgunk, 2005; Maidan” Essays on Contemporary Art in South Caucasus and Middle East, BM CAC Publications, 2007. Home Affairs: Essays on Contemporary Art in Turkey, BM CAC Publications, 2009. 1980-1995 articles in Gösteri, Arredamento Dekorasyon, Cumhuriyet, Istanbul, Kalin, Anons; 1995-2010 Radikal (160 articles); 2026- Beyond Borders and Prejudices and, published by Artdog.
Madra has mentored Istanbul Scholarship of Berlin Senate with 60 artists (1995-2013) and lectured in the Art Management Department of Design of Yıldız Technical University (1998-2002). She is honorary president of AICA, Turkey (established 2003).
