Dr Necmi Sönmez studied art history at Mainz, Paris, Newcastle, and Frankfurt universities and received his PhD at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University on Wolfgang Laib (2000). After working as a curatorial associate at Museum Wiesbaden and Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna, he served as curator for contemporary art at Museum Folkwang Essen (2001-2005). After working at Kunsthochschule Kassel, he became the artistic director at Kunstverein Arnsberg (2005–2008) and a member of the Acquisition Committee at FRAC Franche-Compté (2005-2008).
He established the artist residency programme of Borusan Sanat’s ArtCenter/İstanbul (2009-2014) and many long-term exhibition projects for Borusan Contemporary. He has carried out several international cooperation-based curatorial projects and residency programmes. He has worked as an adjunct tutor/curator at museums, including the Tate, Staatliche Museen Berlin, Kiasma, Helsinki, Stiftung Zollverein, Essen, and Kunsthaus Göttingen. Since 2015, he has collaborated with SKIRA Editore, Milan, as an advising editor for monographic books.
