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bEngineer Unsal took charge of it Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in a flurry of world events. Russia had just launched a full-scale invasion ukraine – thereby disrupting planned exhibitions – and increasing operating costs following the pandemic. In the first week, the organization lost almost a quarter of its Arts Council funding.
Since then, with conflicts emerging and global leadership changing, the world has become increasingly bitter and sometimes dangerously divided. In that environment, censorship and self-censorship have often been prevalent.
But istanbulThe born ICA chief leaned on the skills she learned as director of a leading multi-arts center turkeyWhere she says political pressure and financial turmoil were a daily reality.
And so as the ICA, which hosted the first shows of such luminaries as Steve McQueen, The Clash and Damien Hirst, approaches its 80th birthday, it has taken it back to its radical interdisciplinary roots. This is a place that doesn’t shy away from difficult topics in difficult moments.
This year, ICA hosted 14 screenings Gaza: doctors attackedA documentary examining Israeli military attacks on Gaza hospitals made headlines when it was shut down by the BBC due to alleged “impartiality” concerns.
Amid unprecedented decline in US aid funds ICA also screened death sentenceOne Independent Film examining the impact of Trump-era cuts on global HIV programs.
Here, she talks about her career and her hopes for ICA.
Talk to me about your journey – how did you come to take over the reins of ICA?
I was working as Head of Contemporary Music at the Southbank Centre, programming the Meltdown festival and doing around 200 events per year.
But my journey really begins istanbulWhere I’m from and where I founded Salon IKSV, Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts multi-art venue. The experience of building something in a city of constant political and financial turmoil taught me flexibility, agility and how to lead an institution amidst uncertainty – skills I learned greatly from in my early years in London and the ICA.
And challenges came swiftly… but also an explanation, reminding me why institutions like the ICA matter.
What have been the biggest challenges you have faced since then?
When I joined the ICA, we immediately faced a 23 percent cut to our Arts Council funding.
Because we run a heritage building and a really multi-arts programme, our costs are significantly higher than a gallery or single-discipline venue and that puts real pressure on the whole organisation.
The bigger picture is also difficult. A four-year cycle of national funding cuts means institutions everywhere are trying to do more with less. At ICA, it’s taken us a huge amount of blood, sweat and tears to deliver the kind of risk-taking, future-facing program we believe in, and to continue supporting the next generation of creators.
What have been the highlights for you over the past few years?
I am most proud of how the ICA has truly become an interdisciplinary, multi-arts center again. From our “In the Round” concerts, allowing artists to experiment with our unique 360 degree audio technology, to our “Long Takes” seasons that dive into the legacy of individual filmmakers, to exhibitions featuring incredible emerging artists, the range and energy of the program feels so alive.
How are you trying to lean into ICA’s legacy?
The ICA was born out of a dialogue between boundary-defying artists and thinkers who wanted to rethink what an art institution could be.
Returning to ICA’s multi-arts roots means reactivating the organization not just as a space of consumption, but as a space of production: a space where new ideas, new forms, and new artists can take shape. Our history is full of firsts like Steve McQueen, The Clash, Damien Hirst, Basquiat, ARCA, and our commitment to giving an early space to the artists who will shape the future remains central.
Eighty years later, the world has changed, but the ICA’s founding questions still matter. We see ourselves as an active-listening organization, constantly asking what artists and audiences need today, and shaping our future in response.
You recently screened the Gaza Doctors film more than a dozen times with panel discussions
Our managing curator for cinema, Nicholas Ruffin, was the person who started the discussion when we heard that the film was being removed.
What made these screenings so important was not just the film itself, but also the communal experience around it. The realities depicted are so heavy that it can be overwhelming to absorb them alone. Coming together, asking questions, listening to panelists, and sharing responses created space for understanding and caring. It transformed the singular relationship between viewer and screen into something collective, a community that holds together a difficult truth, rather than the individual divulging it in isolation.
At a moment of deep global division – and in an environment where censorship and self-censorship are increasingly taking shape – the role of the ICA seems more important than ever. We believe that divides can only be bridged through dialogue, empathy and free exchange of ideas.
Why do you think it is important for an organization like the ICA to host hybrid events like Death Sentence, which featured a panel of experts who are not necessarily directly involved in the film?
Although this crisis continues and deserves attention every day, hosting the event around World AIDS Day gives it a moment of collective focus. It’s a chance to evoke empathy and care across borders and remind audiences here that these issues are not far away or cut off from our lives. Cultural institutions have a responsibility to help bring that awareness into public view, amplify critical voices, and use culture to promote understanding, connection, and action.
What are your concerns about the future of the arts in the UK?
In the UK, government support is declining, arts education is shrinking, and many institutions are feeling pressure to protect it. When funding is scarce, it becomes harder to take risks, and artists who question the world around them, imagine differently, or respond immediately are often the first to lose space.
This is why ICA feels needed more than ever. Our role is to safeguard a platform for those important, challenging voices and to resist the narrowing of acceptable or “safe” culture. As we approach our 80th year in 2027, we are expanding our program and leaning even more towards experimentation and new ideas. I believe deeply in the reformative power of the avant-garde, and I want the ICA to remain a beacon for that future.