KunstHausWien Strengthens Its International Profile with Başak Şenova as Chief Curator
New Curatorial Leadership Combines Exhibitions, Research, and International Collaborations—First Glimpses Coming in Fall 2026
KunstHausWien, a museum of Wien Holding, is strengthening its international profile: On August 1, 2026, internationally renowned curator Başak Şenova assumed the position of chief curator. She succeeds Sophie Haslinger, who is moving to the Fotomuseum Winterthur as its director.
In an international selection process, Başak Şenova prevailed over approximately 100 applicants from more than 30 countries. Together with Director Gerlinde Riedl, she will further develop the curatorial direction of the KunstHausWien and continue to sharpen its profile as an internationally networked museum of contemporary art at the intersection of humanity and the environment.
Gerlinde Riedl, Director of KunstHausWien: “The extraordinary response to the call for applications and the high quality of the submitted proposals confirm that KunstHausWien is recognized internationally as a relevant venue for contemporary art as well as for addressing social and ecological issues. In Başak Şenova, we have gained a curator who possesses extensive international experience and combines artistic quality with a keen sensibility for social and ecological issues. Together, we will consistently expand the KunstHausWien’s position as an internationally networked museum for contemporary art and ecology.”
At the heart of her program is a long-term concept rooted in the distinctive identity of KunstHausWien and the legacy of Friedensreich Hundertwasser, unfolding in interconnected thematic cycles. Exhibitions, screenings, residencies, institutional collaborations, and public programs are all interwoven within this framework.
About Başak Şenova
Başak Şenova is a curator and designer who has been living and working in Vienna since 2017. With extensive international experience, Şenova’s curatorial practice has encompassed a wide range of formats and contexts, from biennials and museum exhibitions to large-scale, long-term projects, site-specific interventions, research-based initiatives, and sound art festivals. She has curated two national pavilions at the Venice Biennale: The Pavilion of Turkey at the 53rd Venice Biennale (2009) and the Pavilion of North Macedonia at the 56th Venice Biennale (2015). Other selected projects include UNCOVERED (Cyprus, 2011–2013); serving as Art Gallery Chair of ACM SIGGRAPH in Vancouver, the Helsinki Photography Biennial, and Jerusalem Show VII: Fractures (2014); Lines of Passage (in medias res) in Lesvos (2016); CrossSections (2017–2019), which unfolded through eight exhibitions across Vienna, Helsinki, Stockholm, and Rome; the inaugural exhibition of B7L9, Climbing Through the Tide, in Tunis (2019); and The Octopus Programme (2019–2022), and the large-scale international project Soil & Water (2024–ongoing), co-curated with Johan Thom. Writing and publishing have long been integral to Senova’s curatorial practice. Her editorial roles have included Ibraaz, PASS, the journal of the International Biennial Association, and Flash Art International. She has also served on the advisory boards of some international biennials. As a founding member of NOMAD, an Istanbul-based organisation working at the intersection of digital culture and contemporary art, she initiated and developed the ctrl_alt_del sound art project and Upgrade! Istanbul.
Şenova studied Literature and Graphic Design (MFA in Graphic Design and PhD in Art, Design, and Architecture at Bilkent University) and attended the 7th Curatorial Training Programme at De Appel, Amsterdam. Alongside holding academic and research positions at various universities, she developed and ran the research-based fellowship platform, the Octopus Programme, at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, where she currently holds the position of Senior Postdoctoral Researcher and leads the FWF-PEEK project The Atlas (of Creative Mechanisms): [Curating–Conducting]. She will complete the research with a forthcoming book in March 2027 and, as project leader of the Africa-UniNet project Thinking Soil & Water, will remain affiliated with the university until September 2028, creating a bridge between this research initiative and KunstHausWien.
