November Paynter will be speaking about specific projects and the context of Platform, SALT and L'Internationale and how these are inspiring some of the plans for MOCA. The Columns Held Us Up, co-curated for Artists Space, New York in 2009, was a reference to a specific set of supporting columns that allowed for and gave composition to Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center in Istanbul. It was also a description of the way programming and collaborations were formed at Platform and later SALT, through fostering a confluence of intertwining relationships and shared interests, based on the strength of thoughts and ideas to uphold or pillar a situation in the absence of structural parameters. The modest beginnings of Platform relied on the potential of social encounters and exchange to present models of improvisation and unexpected systems of support.

November Paynter is Director of Programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada. She joined the organization as it commenced a distinct phase in its evolution, moving into the Tower Automotive in the Junction Triangle, with a program dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and nurturing contemporary art and cultural practices that engage with issues relevant to our times.  Prior to this she w as Associate Director of Research and Programs at SALT, Istanbul and Ankara , from founding until December 2016 . She has held the positions of Curator, Platform Garanti, Istanbul; Assistant Curator, 9th International Istanbul Biennial, and Director, Artist Pension Trust, Dubai. Paynter’s freelance curatorial work includes projects for Grazer Kunstverein , Graz; Tate Modern , London; Philadelphia Museum, Philadelphia; Artists Spac e, New York and the Asia Pacific Triennial , Brisbane. Among other commitments she is a jury member for the 5th Jameel Prize coordinated by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.