Meriç Öner

Meriç Öner is a curator and researcher who transforms her curiosity about daily life into studies focusing on the material environment. She began in 2007 as an assistant at Garanti Gallery, a unique space for design, architecture, and urbanism in Istanbul. In 2010, she became the founding assistant director of research and programs at Salt, a renowned research and cultural institution based in the same city, where she defined the institution’s critical approach to built environments. From 2017 to 2021, during her directorship, Öner focused on forging institutional collaborations at local and international levels, enhancing resources, and positioning Salt as a co-learning agency. Her inquiries into material culture initiate transnational conversations and facilitate public displays of multiple narratives and timelines via exhibitions, workshops, talks, and film programs that bridge recent histories and future speculations. In 2022, Öner established her personal studio, MÖG Culture Works, in Istanbul, where she provides strategic consultancy and exhibition services, in addition to developing independent programs such as “Saving/s?”.