Fatos Üstek

Independent Curator and Writer

Fatos Üstek is the author of The Art Institution of Tomorrow: Reinventing the Model, 2024 published by Lund Humphries. Üstek directed art institutions such as the Liverpool Biennial and The Roberts Institute of Art, has curated significant exhibitions and biennials, including Frieze Sculpture, London since 2023 and Cascading Principles: Expansions within Geometry, Philosophy, and Interference at the Mathematical Institute in Oxford University. Her projects range from mid- to large-scale exhibitions and public art commissions to initiatives such as FRANK Fair Artist Pay, which she co-founded to advocate for fair practice in the UK arts sector.

Üstek’s contributions encompass publishing critical curatorial thought, writing for art publications, and hosting international seminars and workshops. She also serves in influential advisory roles, including Extra Extra Magazine and Urbane Künste Ruhr. Her accolades include recognition in Apollo's 40 Under 40 and nominations for the Artlyst Power 100 and the ICI Gerrit Lansing Award. Üstek is currently focused on developing a new art institution that reimagines and expands the boundaries of traditional institutional practice.

Fatos is here to meet the artist Toni Schmale as part of our First Monograph series. Each year, Phileas produces the First Monograph of an Austrian or Austrian-based artist, offering a first comprehensive overview of their work for an international audience.

Fatos Üstek. Photo: Christa Holka