Curator · Art Advisor · Writer · Cultural Strategist

Yasemin Elci is a Luxembourg-based curator, art advisor, writer and cultural strategist working internationally across contemporary art and photography. With more than fifteen years of experience in the art world, she has worked across galleries, art advisory, publishing, cultural institutions and nonprofit initiatives.

She advises private collectors on building and developing art collections. She also advises foundations and cultural organizations on long-term strategy, international partnerships, artists residencies and cultural diplomacy.

Curating

Elci’s curatorial practice focuses on photography and contemporary art, with a particular interest in social and environmental questions, accessibility and the ways we can contribute to social impact through art.

Her recent curatorial project, Climate Elders (2025–2026), was presented at the Museu de Arte Sacra in Belém, Brazil, in parallel with COP30, United Nations Climate Change Conference. Organized by the nonprofits 1in6by2030, Help Age International and with the support of the VII Foundation, the exhibition brought together photographers from 21 countries to explore the experiences and perspectives of the older communities impacted by the climate change. The project incorporated accessibility into its design, including an audio guide for visually impaired visitors, and welcomed more than 22,000 visitors.

Since establishing her practice in Luxembourg in 2020, Elci has curated “Lux Vitae / The Anonymous Project by Lee Shulman” at Chateau de Bourglinster, in collaboration with VF  Projects (2025), “Earth Is Not Flat But Soon Will Be” at Neimënster (2024), “A Room of One’s Own” at Neimënster (2023), and “Taming Nature” at Valerius Gallery (2021).

Art Advisory & Cultural Strategy

Elci works with private collectors to develop informed art collections, advising on international artists, evolving market dynamics and the process of building a sustainable collection.

She also works with foundations, and cultural organizations on cultural strategy, international partnerships and programs that connect artistic practice with broader institutional and social objectives.

Talks, Education & Artist Development

Elci regularly gives talks and workshops on contemporary art and the art market, including how to start an art collection, collecting photography, and developing a career as an artist.

As an Advisor to The Impact Lab, she has delivered sessions for Ukrainian women artists in Poland as part of a Creative Europe project (2026). Her talks addressed EU funding priorities in culture, AI and copyright for artists, and practical ways for artists to navigate the international art world.

Art Writing & Media

As an art writer and radio host, Elci focuses on contemporary art and on artists who use their practice to influence social or environmental change. She has published more than 200 articles in English and Turkish for publications including Artsy, The Luxembourg Times and Harper’s Bazaar Art.

She also writes for artist books and exhibition publications, collaborating with museums, galleries and cultural organizations.

Gallery Experience

Elci began her professional career in Istanbul. From 2009 to 2016, she was Director of Gallery x-ist, where she worked with contemporary artists from Turkey and represented the gallery at international art fairs including Art Basel Hong Kong, ARCO Madrid, Art Dubai, Art Stage Singapore, Vienna Art Fair, Unseen Amsterdam and Photo London.

From 2016 to 2019, she was Director of Leica Gallery Istanbul, where she curated exhibitions with internationally recognized as well as emerging artists from Turkey, Germany, Iran, Netherlands and Finland, and developed public programs and partnerships with nonprofit institutions.

She graduated from Robert College of Istanbul and holds a BA from Dartmouth College in the United States. She has been a teaching assistant of photography at Dartmouth College and Aalto University in Finland. She has served on international photography and film juries and has been a nominator for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award since 2021.