The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) has named architect Mariana Pestana as the curator of the 5th Istanbul Design Biennial. The biennial is slated to take place between September 26 and November 8, 2020. 

Pestana, who is based in Porto and London, is a founder of The Decorators, a collaborative practice that engages in public realm interventions. Aside from her work as an architect, Pestana has curated a long roster of exhibitions curated for global institutions that include the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design. Generally speaking, Pestana's research interests lie at the intersection of fiction-based futurism and critical social practices. 

In a press release announcing Pestana's selection, the Istanbul Design Biennial’s Advisory Board writes, “Mariana Pestana’s passionate approach will be beneficial to the biennial in many ways, and her critical reflections on contemporary issues and inquiries into fictional futures are quite intriguing. We believe that she will put all her soul into turning this edition into a memorable one, and relish the opportunity to extend the collaborative approach of the Istanbul Design Biennial.”