Marina Papazyan is a writer and artist from Istanbul. They often work with video and sound, and write fiction and essays. They have been interested in how monstrousness and disease are represented and intersect, with vampirism and lycanthropy appearing as recurring motifs in their writing. Werewolves, vampires and satyrs take on different roles in exploring queer genders and erotics, set against the contradictory legacies of (post-)Ottoman imperialisms, and the liberation movements that resist them. Until recently, they were a program coordinator at the non-profit art space Depo (2021–⁠2025), and helped run BAS Artists’ Book Collection (2020–⁠2025). They are currently an MFA candidate in Writing at Bard College.

WORKS

Trou de loup [Wolf hole]

installation, 2023
solo exhibition at 5533, Istanbul

Trou de loup

video, 2022
part of The Hauntologists at BAK, Utrecht

Dimitri’s Binder

prints, 2021
part of I heard it from the valleys at Haus N Athen, Athens
+ This Place at Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat, Istanbul

Haemoglobins & Ants

installation, 2021
solo exhibition at poşe, Istanbul

Dear Inflamed Follicle, There is a Commemoration in My Skin

installation, 2019
part of flesh and bone at Operation Room, Istanbul

Letting Films Thing Themselves

installation, 2018

CONTRIBUTIONS

Yokluğuna işaret ediyor
[Signals its absence]

essay, 2025
in Sanat Dünyamız 204: Arşiv ve İhtimam [Archives and Diligence]

lubunşah

short story, 2025
for Narrative Power Alliance: Exhibition

☁︎ betraying normalcy: red lines, the big prison, and the long middle

exhibition text, 2024
for my/red lines, rezzan gümgüm
+ on K24

Kültür sığınağına yerleşmek
[Settling for the culture bunker]

essay, 2023
in Sanat Dünyamız 192: Kesişimsellik ve Sanat [Intersectionality and Art]

the abduction of vocal cords

script for sound piece, 2022
for In Between Seances, Yen Noh

edible guts

poem, 2022
in On the Edge of Seeing, Sevil Tunaboylu

Bloody Shadows from Afar (a translation)

spread, 2022
in 06.2022-13-dergi

mâzîk

exhibition text, 2022
for mâzîk, Depo

☁︎ Beyoğlu’nun yeni failleri
[Beyoğlu’s new perpetrators]

essay, 2022
on 1+1 Express with Eda Hisarlıoğlu

Eşikte Vücut Bulmak: Canavarın Queer Etiği
[Embodied at the Threshold: The Queer Ethics of Monstrosity]

essay, 2021
in Kaos GL 179: Zor Zamanlar [Difficult Times]

minor-K

text, 2020
in On Celestial Bodies, Arter Background

Sweating Milk

poem, 2019
in Abstract Lies (Chapter 1), Huo Rf + Abdi Cadani

b. 1996, Istanbul
[they/them]
marinapapazyan [at] tutamail [dot] com
 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023   Trou de loup [Wolf hole], 5533, Istanbul
2021   Haemoglobins & Ants, poşe, Istanbul
 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2022   All Water Falls into Language, Kıraathane İstanbul Edebiyat Evi, Istanbul
2022   The Hauntologists, BAK, Utrecht
2021   I heard it from the valleys, Haus N Athen, Athens
2021   This Place, Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat, Istanbul
2021   Finding a Cure in Istanbul, Karşı Sanat — Yaklaşım Tüneli, Istanbul
2019   Flesh and Bone, Operation Room, Istanbul
 

SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS

2025   Yokluğuna işaret ediyor, in Sanat Dünyamız 204: Arşiv ve İhtimam
2025   lubunşah, for Narrative Power Alliance: Exhibition
2024   betraying normalcy: red lines, the big prison, and the long middle, for my/red lines, rezzan gümgüm
2023   Kültür sığınağına yerleşmek, in Sanat Dünyamız 192: Kesişimsellik ve Sanat
2022   the abduction of vocal cords, for In Between Seances, Yen Noh
2022   edible guts, in On the Edge of Seeing, Sevil Tunaboylu
2022   Bloody Shadows from Afar (a translation), in 06.2022-13-dergi
2022   mâzîk, for mâzîk, Depo
2022   Beyoğlu’nun yeni failleri, on 1+1 Express with Eda Hisarlıoğlu
2021   Eşikte Vücut Bulmak: Canavarın Queer Etiği, in Kaos GL 179
2021   minor-K, in On Celestial Bodies, Arter Background
2019   Scalp Itch, in border_less PAPER/MECMUA #1
2019   Sweating Milk, in Abstract Lies (Chapter 1), Huo Rf + Abdi Cadani
 

RESIDENCIES + OTHER PROGRAMS

09.21 – 06.22   BAK Fellowship for Situated Practice
10.18 – 06.19   Istanbul Biennial Production and Research Programme, Istanbul
 

LINKS

☁︎ The Tangled Politics of Erdoğan’s Culture Route Festival | ArtReview
☁︎ Marina Papazyan ile vızıltılar, nefes alışlar ve musallat olanlar üzerine | Açık Radyo
☁︎ What Is the Future of Istanbul’s LGBTQ Art Scene? | ArtReview
☁︎ How Turkey’s President Is Weaponizing Culture | Hyperallergic
☁︎ cogito 109: Sesli Düşünmek | Yapı Kredi Yayınları
☁︎ Metropolis M no. 2, 2023: de horror, de horror! | Metropolis M
☁︎ Naming the unnamed: The Hauntologists at BAK | Metropolis M
☁︎ Su Akar Dilini Bulur / All Water Falls into Language | Açık Radyo
☁︎ Bir gece bahçesi deneyi: mâzîk | Açık Radyo
☁︎ Queer sanatçılara ilham veren isimler | Argonotlar
☁︎ Η σύγχρονη τέχνη έχει περισσότερα κοινά με τη λαογραφία απ’ ότι νομίζουμε | αθηνόραμα
☁︎ 2021/2022 BAK Fellowship for Situated Practice: Istanbul, Jakarta, Utrecht, and online | e-flux
☁︎ Vampir ve hayaletler arasında: Hemoglobinler & Karıncalar | Argonotlar
☁︎ Bedenin coğrafyası | unlimited
☁︎ Bedenlere inanır mısınız? | 1+1 Express