Idil Burkutoglu is a Turkish interior architect, curator and researcher based in Milan. Being born in a multicultural city like Istanbul, starting from an early age, Idil was exposed to diverse architectural, artistic, and cultural imagery. As much as being drawn into the physicality of the city itself, subconsciously, her studies have always been around the psychological and sociological effects of visual culture on people. The communication between an expressive action and a person has always been the center of a creative production for her. She believes that understanding of visual culture and development of social texture for contemporary and for future generations, depends on cultural roots, linguistics, background, context, and the aftermath.

Idil started to explore creative communication processes on a research basis when she started studying interior architecture and environmental design in Istanbul for her bachelor’s degree in Ozyegin University with a full scholarship. Her thesis was designing a research center dedicated to architectural history studies in an historical building which was selected for UNESCO World Heritage List and located close to the old city of Istanbul. Her focus was designing a space without disturbing historical texture. During her studies, she had technical purchasing and manufacturing technical detail drawing experiences in international construction firms/architectural design offices including a football stadium, a hotel, and an office project.

While creating spaces for different contexts, people with diverse backgrounds and purposes, Idil discovered that the success of every creative/visual communicative action is affected very much by strategic planning behind it, considering every variable. After attempting to control and predict a person’s behavior in an occupied space, she understood that the viable solutions were the power of suggestion and limitations regarding psychology and sociology. As an interior architect, she focused on suggestions that could create the best possible experience. She extended this approach to art production, exhibition design and conceptual development as well.

After dwelling into communication, as a lifelong passion and curiosity, Idil decided to pursue art and curation to analyze the relationship between a functional space, an artwork, and the possible audience. She completed her Master of Arts degree in NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti) in visual arts and curatorial studies located in Milan/Italy. Her thesis was about an exhibition proposal consisting of works produced by architects focusing on the philosophy of architecture supported by architectural education and the role of an architect in social/political contexts. During her study, she mostly focused on cultural heritage, transmission of inherited social consciousness and exhibition design.

Later, followed by an opportunity in an art and design gallery, she gained experience in gallery management, relations with art professionals, event organization and contemporary art market. During her role as a gallery assistant, she collaborated with curators, artists and collectors which allowed her to understand the perspectives of different roles in art production, presentation, commerce, negotiation, transaction processes. After, she had various freelance experiences on social media strategies for an upcoming brand on brand identity a conceptual development, technical detail drawings for manufacturing on a residential project and art/antique collection consultancy.

As an interior architect, later trained to be a curator; spatial perception, technical limitations, understanding an artist’s point of view and the whole curation process led Idil to decide on specializing in museum studies, conceptual implementation, and cultural heritage in academia and practice. Also, she is immensely enthusiastic about her roots, anthropology, archeology and analyzing these studies about humanities from an architect/curator point of view. Idil speaks Turkish, English and Italian. She is currently based in Italy as a researcher, continuing her studies in Italian language and inclining towards a career in academia with planning on pursing a PhD degree.