Intersect Chicago Curatorial Selections: Mari Spirito
Photo by Bora Güven
Mari Spirito is Executive Director and Curator of Protocinema, a cross-cultural, site-aware art organization commissioning and presenting exhibitions and public programs in Istanbul and New York, since 2011. She launched Protocinema’s Emerging Curator Series mentorship program in 2015. In 2020, Spirito was commissioning curator of Theo Triantafyllidis' "Anti-Gone" which premiered at Sundance Film Festival, New Frontier; and "No poem loves its poet," Sub-Botnick (Ahmet Öğüt & Maru Mushtrieva) performance which will be presented in New York by Protocinema within the inaugural Asia Society Triennial: “We Do Not Dream Alone” in May, 2021.
In 2019 she wrote “Flies Bite, It's Going To Rain” catalogue text on Vajiko Chachkhiani’s installation of the same name and curated public talks for Beijing Art Summit. She was faculty for Independent Curators International (ICI) Curatorial Intensive, Bangkok, and guest curator, Alserkal Arts Foundation Public Commission, Dubai, with Hale Tenger, in 2018. From 2013 - 2018 Spirito programmed Conversations for both Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach; served as International Advisory Committee Member for the Inaugural High Line Plinth Commissions, New York, 2017; and was Curator and Director of Alt Art Space, Bomonti, Istanbul from 2015 to 2017. Protocinema partnered with Artspace, Sydney for “Australia and Turkey Visiting Curators Initiative”, 2014. Spirito was an Advisor to the 2nd Mardin Biennial, Turkey, 2012; and Director of 303 Gallery New York, 2000 - 2012.
She is Vice President of the Board of Participant, Inc, and New York, on Advisory Committees of: AGYU, Art Gallery of York University, Toronto; Art Unlimited Magazine, and Boarder_less, Istanbul and holds a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art, Boston.
Below Spirito selects standout works from Intersect Chicago.
