Defne Ayas is a freelance curator based in Berlin. She has served as a director, co-director, curator, board member and curatorial advisor to several cultural institutions and research initiatives across the world, including Melly (formerly known as Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art) (2012-2017), V-A-C Foundation (2018-2020), and Arthub Asia, (2007-2011). Ayas remains a curator at large for Performa, where she has working since its inception in 2005. As a coveted curator in biennale circuits, she has co-curated the 13th Gwangju Biennale (w/ Natasha Ginwala) in 2021, the 6th Moscow Biennale in 2015 and 11th Baltic Triennale in 2012.  Ayas is currently a supervisory board member of Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Rijksakademie (Amsterdam); and Protocinema (Istanbul/New York).  Her upcoming exhibition with Armenian-French artist Sarkis will be on view at Kunsthalle Baden-Baden in late November 2023.