Serhat Kula
The son of a family that migrated from Rumelia to Turkey, Serhat Kula completed his early education in Istanbul. His interest in the arts during high school, combined with the encouragement of his art teacher, led him to pursue his academic studies at a faculty of fine arts. After graduating from Sakarya University, he moved to Vienna for advanced studies, spending nine years specializing in areas such as art history, medieval architecture, and the design culture of the industrial era.
In 2010, Kula founded Alterna Art Gallery in Vienna, creating a platform that welcomed artists from around the world to Europe. In 2015, he returned to Türkiye after receiving an offer to work with Turkish Airlines, where he served as Art Director and Editorial Manager for Skylife Magazine for two years.
In 2017, Kula became the first curator of the Yeditepe Biennial, one of Istanbul’s two major biennials. By the end of his tenure, he had overseen the organization of 52 exhibitions across the city. Following this, he was appointed as the Director of the Yunus Emre Institute in North Macedonia, based in Skopje, to engage in cultural diplomacy and represent his country abroad. From 2019 to 2024, he strived to strengthen linguistic, historical, cultural, and artistic ties between Türkiye and the Balkan region.
Kula continues his academic pursuits in the arts at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Alongside his role as a consultant to the Chairman of the Board at Turkish Airlines, he actively serves as an Executive Board Member and General Art Director at the Culture and Heritage Foundation.
He is married and the father of three children.
