Pelin Basaran

Pelin Basaran is a producer and curator of contemporary performance developing and delivering high-profile projects across Europe and beyond. As a founding member of garajistanbul, the foremost center for contemporary performance in Turkey, Pelin was a leading voice in the cultural landscape of Istanbul for many years. In 2011, she founded her own organization, PARC, instigating many international projects and nurturing artistic practice in Turkey. She was founder and Director of Siyah Bant, a research and advocacy initiative dedicated to Freedom of Expression in the Arts. She currently works as program manager at Contact, Manchester whilst developing international projects independently. In the UK she has contributed greatly to promoting diversity and anti-racism within the arts and to the growing discourse on care as a cultural and ethical paradigm within cultural institutions. She received her BA in Political Science from the Middle East Technical University and completed her MA at Boğaziçi University, Institute of Modern Turkish History.