Germany
SAHA partakes ,in the Berlin-based ,contemporary art institution, Hamburger Bahnhof —Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart’s newly founded patrons circle, Hamburger Bahnhof International Companions.
Founded in October 2023 at the initiative of directors Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, who are also members of SAHA’s international advisory board, the International Companions ,intends to ,reflect diversity ,of the institutions’ geographical setting ,and promote inclusion through education, exhibitions, projects, acquisitions, and publications.
Hamburger Bahnhof welcomes Ulya Soley as SAHA Curator. A new member of the curatorial team, Soley will contribute to the museum’s programs, encompassing curatorial oversight of exhibitions and facilitating their mediation to diverse audiences in Berlin and beyond. Her appointment underscores the commitment to promoting cultural diversity and inclusion within the museum’s programming.
The position of SAHA Curator is made possible by SAHA together with seven individual patrons of SAHA, and with the support of burgbad GmbH and Akbank Sanat Art Center. For the next three years, it will strengthen the museum’s global outlook.
Ulya Soley is a curator and writer. She holds an MA in Culture, Criticism, and Curation from Central Saint Martins College in London and a BA in Art History and Psychology from McGill University in Montreal. From 2013 to 2025, she worked as a curator and editor of publications at the Pera Museum in Istanbul, where she initiated and led numerous contemporary projects rooted in the museum’s collection. Alongside her institutional work, she has independently curated exhibitions and public programmes. Her curatorial projects include Souvenirs of the Future and A Question of Taste at the Pera Museum, all familiar, all foreign at Versus Art Project, Spirits on the Ground at DIANA NY, Hosting Bodies at Sanatorium, and How shall we dress for the occasion? at 601 Artspace in New York. Soley has contributed editorially to various artist books and magazines, and her writings have appeared in Texte zur Kunst, e-flux, Sanat Dünyamız, Argonotlar, Manifold, and Art unlimited. In 2024, she was a fellow at the Tarabya Cultural Academy, where she researched queer nightlife as a form of resistance. She is the recipient of the British Council Culture and Creativity Award and a participant in the British Council Future Leaders Programme 2023–24. At the core of her practice lies an engagement with speculative thinking and experimental approaches, exploring visions of the future from a queer-feminist perspective.
Open Call: SAHA Curator Position at Hamburger Bahnhof
Hamburger Bahnhof—Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart in Berlin is looking for a Turkish speaking curator with special knowledge of modern and contemporary art from Türkiye. This position, which is offered for a period of three years, is supported by SAHA Association, Istanbul, with additional support by burgbad GmbH and Akbank. With this position, Hamburger Bahnhof seeks to reflect the many varied communities and cultures that make up Berlin. Hamburger Bahnhof encourages candidates to apply, regardless of age, gender, nationality, cultural or social background, religion or worldview, disability or sexual identity. ,
Position description and responsibilities
The SAHA curator will join the dynamic and diverse team of Hamburger Bahnhof and be responsible for curatorial supervision of collections and exhibitions relating to Türkiye. Specific duties for this position include:
–Supervising the collections from Türkiye and the broader region including academic research, publication of results, documentation in the museum documentation system MuseumPlus or RIA, and professional supervision of digitization projects.
–Identifying, establishing, and maintaining national and international collaborations with a focus on networking with cultural institutions in Türkiye.
–Ensuring the transfer of knowledge from the collection to various audiences and interested parties with an emphasis on new communities in Berlin and worldwide.
–Conceiving and realizing exhibitions, symposia, lectures and special events mainly related to modern and contemporary art from Türkiye.
–Raising external funding as part of the above-mentioned research, restoration and exhibition projects.
Applicant requirements
–Very good knowledge of art history of the late 20th and 21st centuries with a focus on the art from Türkiye.
–Completed university studies (Master’s degree, Magister/Magistra, Diploma, or equivalent degree) in art history, media studies or a related field in the history of the late 20th and 21st centuries with a focus on art from Türkiye.
–Academic competence in current museological and social discourses.
–High level of methodological competence for the independent development and evaluation of topics in their broader scientific context.
–Fluent in Turkish and English. Knowledge of German is desirable but not required.
–A strong network in the national and international art and cultural field.
–Very good experience in the development and implementation of exhibitions.
–Very good experience in the acquisition of external funds and sponsors as well as the implementation of cooperation projects with local and international partners.
Benefits
–Salary equivalent to German public payment grid level EG 13 TVöD BUND.
–The opportunity to work in the largest cultural institution in Germany and one of the most important worldwide (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation).
–Diverse tasks with considerable creative freedom.
–A wide range of further education and advanced training opportunities.
–Berlin public transportation ticket with employer contribution.
–Subsidy of 100 EUR per year for health promotion offers.
–30 annual paid vacation days.
How to apply
Deadline for applications is August 13, 2024. Applications can be submitted online through the job portal at ,karriere.preussischer-kulturbesitz.de. For inquries please contact: ,hbf@smb.museum
About Hamburger Bahnhof —Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart
The Hamburger Bahnhof was built in the mid-nineteenth century as the terminus of the railway line connecting Hamburg and Berlin, and was converted into a museum of transport and technology at the start of the twentieth century. Since 1996 it has housed the contemporary art collection of the Nationalgalerie. Today, Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin is among the world’s largest museums for contemporary art. Alongside special exhibitions, works from the collection of the Nationalgalerie, the Marx Collection, the Friedrich Christian Flick Collection and the Marzona Collection are shown here in some 10,000 square meters. The ground floor of the west wing is reserved for an ensemble of largescale sculptural works by Joseph Beuys that is unique in the world. The museum rearranges its collections permanently and presents them under diverse thematic focuses. At the same time there are regularly special exhibitions on display reflecting on tendencies and interdisciplinarity in contemporary and post-war art.
