Our Team
Sebla Kut
Sebla Kut (b. 1983, İstanbul) graduated from F.M.V. Ayazağa Işık High School, and holds a BA degree in English Language and Literature from İstanbul University. After completing the Formation Program for Teaching English at Istanbul University, she worked as a pre-school and high school English teacher in İstanbul. She received her MA degree in Arts Management at Yeditepe University with her MA thesis titled 'Marketing Strategies for the State Museums in Turkey' in 2010. After having worked in the departments of visitor development and exhibition design at different art institutions for two years, she joined the İstanbul Modern where she served as the Director of Marketing Communications of the museum (2012-2015). Since 2015, she is designing educational projects and projects for the exhibitions in creative industries and works as a user-oriented-marketing consultant. Sebla Kut is a member of the scientific committee for the 'Museum Education Program for Teachers', organized by the General Directorate for Teacher Training and Development of the Ministry of National Education since 2019. She develops museum education material for teachers, students and visitors, and conducts training sessions. She is also a member of the Cultural Heritage Committee in the Bergama Foundation for Culture and Arts (BERKSAV). She is married and has one son.
Cem Deniz Kut
Cem Deniz Kut (b. 1983, New York) is a graduate of Galatasaray Lycee in Ä°stanbul. He holds a BA degree in Political Science and a BA degree in History from Ä°stanbul Bilgi University. He completed his MA degree in International Relations at Institut d’Etudes Politiques/Sciences-Po in Paris in 2007, where he studied with an honor’s scholarship from the French government. He is currently writing his PhD dissertation on the ‘Role of Energy Politics in Foreign Policy Making’ in the PhD Program in International Relations at BoÄŸaziçi University. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses including Energy Politics, State and Institutions, Introduction to International Relations and Global Citizenship at Ä°stanbul Bilgi University for seven years and was in the General Manager of an international trade company. His research areas include history of technology, history of humankind, and gastronomy. Apart from his academic publications, he has translated articles on history of gastronomy and took part in many projects and publications as a translator and editor, including Turkish Cuisine (2008), a book project by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. He is married and has one son.
Yasemin Ãœstay - Business Development and Corporate Communications Coordinator
Born in Istanbul in 1983, Yasemin Ãœstay is a graduate of St. Michel French High School. She completed her undergraduate studies in International Relations at Tufts University, after which she worked as a research assistant with Kemal DerviÅŸ at the United Nations Development Programme. She earned her master's degree in Corporate and Crisis Communication from Baruch College in New York and continued her career at a leading New York advertising agency, specializing in digital communication, events, and reputation management. During this time, she worked as a foreign correspondent for Marie Claire and Madame Figaro magazines. After returning to Turkey , she published the cookbook "Not Every Child Likes Spinach" (2014) and has given cooking workshops and trainings. Since 2021, she has served as the Corporate Communications Coordinator and Board Member at Ãœstay Construction; through the Ãœstay Social initiative she launched within the company, she establishes children's libraries in schools across Turkey and develops education-focused social responsibility projects. Yasemin Ãœstay also works as the Business Development and Corporate Communications Coordinator at Komet Culture and Arts Projects.
Ä°layda Zafer
Ä°layda Zafer (b. 1993, Bursa) is a graduate of Ä°stanbul Üsküdar High School. She holds a BA degree in English Language and Literature from BoÄŸaziçi University. She lived in Utrecht in 2014 as an Erasmus student at Utrecht University. After graduation from BoÄŸaziçi, she worked as editor of the platform Oil &Gas Year and as director of publications at various lifestyle magazines including Men’s Health and Runner’s World. After leaving the media sector, she translated books on self-improvement/personal development and children’s books. Ä°layda Zafer is currently working as Editor at Komet Culture and Art Projects.
Ali Güney Yakar
During his undergraduate studies at the department of Classical Archaeology in Ä°stanbul University, Ali Güney Yakar (b.1993) took part in archaeological excavations as an assistant. He lived in Bologna in 2015 as an Erasmus student at Universita di Bologna. After receiving his BA degree in 2016, he began his graduate study in the field of History of Architecture at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University where he focused on modern architecture and modern art. He received his Master’s degree in 2020 with his thesis on ‘Constructivist Architecture in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in a Historical Context’. While he was a graduate student, he also worked in the 4th Ä°stanbul Design Biennal, 38th Ä°stanbul Film Festival and in various exhibitions as an exhibition guide, artists assistant, and text writer. During the same period, he participated in academic conferences and wrote pieces for online journals on his thesis topic. Ali Güney Yakar is currently working at Komet Culture and Art Projects as Researcher and Content Developer.
Ömer Ozan ErdoÄŸan
Ömer Ozan ErdoÄŸan graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Mimar Sinan University with a BA degree in Graphics in 2005. He received drawing and painting classes from Mustafa Pancar and MüÅŸerref ZeytinoÄŸlu. He worked as Art Director in design studios and global advertising agencies, including Esen Karol, Zebra Design Factory, RPM Radar Cdp Europe, Ä°letiÅŸim Ünitesi and StudioKa. He was the Creative Director of his own design studio Creative Bonanza. He continues his works of painting, illustration and graphic design in Ä°stanbul and Berlin.
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Selin HamzaoÄŸlu
Selin HamzaoÄŸlu (b. 1990, Ä°stanbul) has started painting in her primary school years. She has been recepient of many awards since then. She was educated in the Graphical Design and Design Technologies Department at Ortaköy Zübeyde Hanım Vocational High School for Girls and holds an associate degree from Technical Sciences Vocational School of Ä°stanbul University.
She also studied Business Administration and received education in Human Resources Management Specialist Program at Yıldız Technical University in İstanbul. She started to work when she was still a student in agencies such as Celisa, Rapido and Lom Creative. In 2013, she began working in the media sector with Agos newspaper and in 2018, she started in Group Media as Visual Director.