Salt is Hosting border_less ARTBOOK DAYS
Salt Galata
May 15 – May 17, 2026
Visual Design: Selin Tahtakılıç
Salt is hosting the eighth edition of border_less ARTBOOK DAYS on May 15–17. Bringing together museums, galleries, publishing institutions, artists, and independent initiatives, the program includes a range of activities focused on art publishing. This year’s edition features 68 participants from 13 countries and will be accompanied by a series of talks on publishing practices.
PROGRAM
“Last Summer in Syria”
Rhonda Khalifeh and Zehra Begüm Kışla
Saturday, May 16, 13.00
Artist Rhonda Khalifeh will be in conversation with curator and writer Zehra Begüm Kışla, exploring the agency of material in artists’ bookmaking. Taking its title from Khalifeh’s 2011 book of the same name, the conversation will delve into the material archive the artist has built throughout her life between Damascus and New York, as well as her practice centered on artists’ books. The program will be held in English.
“From Research to Publication: The Ecology of Knowledge Production”
Sezin Romi and Ezgi Yurteri
Saturday, May 16, 16.00
Sezin Romi and Ezgi Yurteri from Salt will discuss how different modes of production shape and inform one another, drawing on the interconnections between publishing, research, archives, and programming. Through anecdotes from How Did We Get Here: Reading Vasıf Kortun, to be published by Salt in collaboration with Archive Books (Berlin), they will offer an overview of Salt’s approach to publishing across print and digital formats. The discussion will also address the transition from Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center to Salt, reflecting on the role of the publication collection at Salt Research in the production and circulation of knowledge. The program will be held in Turkish.
“Becoming Lumbardhi: Cultural Heritage, Knowledge Production, and Institution-Making”
Ares Shporta and Sezin Romi
Sunday, May 17, 13.00
Ares Shporta, Co-Founder and Director of the Lumbardhi Foundation, will be in conversation with Sezin Romi, Salt’s Senior Librarian and Archivist. The conversation will explore the founding story of Lumbardhi—a cultural institution in Prizren, Kosovo—alongside its current programs and archival and research projects. Shporta will share insights into the community-led efforts to protect the historic cinema that now houses the institution, transformed into a protected landmark and an active hub for the arts, knowledge production, and social organizing. He will also discuss the ongoing renovation of the cinema building and outline projects focused on research, experimentation, and collective learning, situating Lumbardhi’s work within Kosovo’s cultural heritage. The program will be held in English.
“Tracing Taklak: A Story of Multi-Layered Making”
Dilşad Aladağ, Seda Mimaroğlu, and Huo Rf
Sunday, May 17, 16.00
Artist and researcher Dilşad Aladağ will talk about her long-term project Taklak with Seda Mimaroğlu—poet, artist, and founder of the book’s publisher maḳām editions—alongside Huo Rf, co-founder of border_less. Drawing on the story of Taklak, the conversation will explore how research, writing, and performance practices intertwine, and how this multi-layered approach is reflected in the book. Tracing a production practice that spans various media, it will also address how the book’s publishing journey paved the way for the founding of maḳām editions, and how this collaboration took shape. The discussion will further consider the role and potential of publications that transcend conventional genres in independent publishing. The program will be held in Turkish.
PROGRAM
“Last Summer in Syria”
Rhonda Khalifeh and Zehra Begüm Kışla
Saturday, May 16, 13.00
Artist Rhonda Khalifeh will be in conversation with curator and writer Zehra Begüm Kışla, exploring the agency of material in artists’ bookmaking. Taking its title from Khalifeh’s 2011 book of the same name, the conversation will delve into the material archive the artist has built throughout her life between Damascus and New York, as well as her practice centered on artists’ books. The program will be held in English.
“From Research to Publication: The Ecology of Knowledge Production”
Sezin Romi and Ezgi Yurteri
Saturday, May 16, 16.00
Sezin Romi and Ezgi Yurteri from Salt will discuss how different modes of production shape and inform one another, drawing on the interconnections between publishing, research, archives, and programming. Through anecdotes from How Did We Get Here: Reading Vasıf Kortun, to be published by Salt in collaboration with Archive Books (Berlin), they will offer an overview of Salt’s approach to publishing across print and digital formats. The discussion will also address the transition from Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center to Salt, reflecting on the role of the publication collection at Salt Research in the production and circulation of knowledge. The program will be held in Turkish.
“Becoming Lumbardhi: Cultural Heritage, Knowledge Production, and Institution-Making”
Ares Shporta and Sezin Romi
Sunday, May 17, 13.00
Ares Shporta, Co-Founder and Director of the Lumbardhi Foundation, will be in conversation with Sezin Romi, Salt’s Senior Librarian and Archivist. The conversation will explore the founding story of Lumbardhi—a cultural institution in Prizren, Kosovo—alongside its current programs and archival and research projects. Shporta will share insights into the community-led efforts to protect the historic cinema that now houses the institution, transformed into a protected landmark and an active hub for the arts, knowledge production, and social organizing. He will also discuss the ongoing renovation of the cinema building and outline projects focused on research, experimentation, and collective learning, situating Lumbardhi’s work within Kosovo’s cultural heritage. The program will be held in English.
“Tracing Taklak: A Story of Multi-Layered Making”
Dilşad Aladağ, Seda Mimaroğlu, and Huo Rf
Sunday, May 17, 16.00
Artist and researcher Dilşad Aladağ will talk about her long-term project Taklak with Seda Mimaroğlu—poet, artist, and founder of the book’s publisher maḳām editions—alongside Huo Rf, co-founder of border_less. Drawing on the story of Taklak, the conversation will explore how research, writing, and performance practices intertwine, and how this multi-layered approach is reflected in the book. Tracing a production practice that spans various media, it will also address how the book’s publishing journey paved the way for the founding of maḳām editions, and how this collaboration took shape. The discussion will further consider the role and potential of publications that transcend conventional genres in independent publishing. The program will be held in Turkish.
