Within the scope of the events program compiled following the collaboration protocol signed between the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) and Rüstem Bookstore, curator, art critic and former SALT director Vasıf Kortun delivered a talk titled “Museums of Our University / University Museums” on Tuesday, the 15th of October 2019. The talk was which was attended by a large number of art lovers took place at the Rüştem Bookstore between 19:00 and 21:00. Vasıf Kortun has also recently been providing consultancy to the İstanbul Art and Sculpture Museum.

The University Museum Was Discussed

During the talk, Vasıf Kortun touched upon questions such as “What are the differences and similarities between university museums operating without commercial pressure and other museums? How are they related to the public? Do the interests of universities concern the museums? Does academia take the museums seriously? How do museums view the skills of academia? What must change? What should be structured? What are the opportunities of university museums and what is the value in their relationship with the university?”

With the contributions of artist, EMU has started to form its collection and aims to start work on a future museum. The program aims to lead to information exchange and the creation of an environment where a multi-faceted discussion can take place in order to reach the data needed to form a reliable road map. Three more talks will be taking place within the semester as EMU continues to increase its contributions to art and artist.