Basak Senova (Curator)
Basak Senova (based in Vienna), the project leader of The Atlas, is a curator and designer. She studied Literature and Graphic Design (MFA in Graphic Design and Ph.D. in Art, Design, and Architecture at Bilkent University) and attended the 7th Curatorial Training Programme of Stichting De Appel, Amsterdam. In 2017, she received her Associate Professorship from the Higher Education Council of Turkey. Currently, she holds a Senior Postdoctoral Researcher position at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Şenova has edited numerous books and served as a board member of several international publications. She has curated numerous biennials and exhibitions, including 2009: Pavilion of Turkey, Venice Biennale; 2015: Pavilion of North Macedonia, Venice Biennale; 2013: 2nd Biennial of Contemporary Art D-0 ARK Underground, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 2014: Helsinki Photography Biennial: Ecological Fallacy; 2014: The Jerusalem Show VII: Fractures; 2019: 5th Biennial of Contemporary Art D-0 ARK Underground, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 2019: Climbing Through the Tide, inaugural exhibition of B7L9, Tunis; 2018–2020: CrossSections Project; seven exhibitions (CrossSections Triology, KEX | WUK, _perspectives Konstfack, Stockholm, _notes, ExLab, KUVA, Helsinki; 2019, Shadow Optics. Lina Selander, Kunsthaus Wien (Vienna) Atelier. Egle Oddo. MACRO Asilo (Rome); 2020–2022: The Octopus Programme: B7L9, Tunis and AIL – Otto Wagner-Postsparkasse, Vienna. In 2022, she curated three group exhibitions: Ivy (Istanbul), Liquid Saturation (BAM, Palermo), and 2Fold (Kyrenia); and in 2023, a design project for Kunsthaus Dahlem, Berlin, and the group exhibition Simurgh. Ten Women Artists from Iran at Galerie Crone, Berlin. Since 2017, she has been living and working in Vienna. She is a founding member of the ZoNE and a corresponding member of the Wiener Secession.
Johan Thom (Curator)
Johan Thom is a South African artist, academic and curator who currently works as an Associate Professor at the University of Pretoria. His work is process-driven and explores materiality as a performative framework. Solo exhibitions by Thom include the Johannesburg Art Gallery (2008), Iwalewahaus (2010), Nirox Foundation and Sculpture Park (2024), the Goodman Gallery (Johannesburg, 2015) and Kalashnikovv Gallery (2023). Group exhibitions include the Canary Islands Biennale (2006), the Palazzo delle Papesse (2008) and many others. He has participated in conferences, workshops and artistic programmes at the Venice Biennale (2003, 2005), the University of Cambridge (2009), the Slade School of Fine Art (2010/11/12), Documenta 13 (2012), the University of Pretoria (2013/14/15 & 2021), “The Octopus Programme” (2020–22, University of Applied Arts Vienna), the African Centre for the Study of the United States (2022, IDSVA, Wits, UP, Nirox), “A Research of Doing” (2021–23, University of Applied Arts Vienna, The Centre For the Less Good Idea and UP), “Listening at The Edge” (2022–23, Pro Helvetia), and elsewhere. Most recently in 2025, he was invited as a visiting professor in Visual Art and Expanded Cinema at IUAV Faculty of Art and Design in Venice.
Tristin Roland (NIROX Curator)
Tristin Roland is the resident curator at the NIROX Foundation and the Villa-Legodi Centre for Sculpture. He is the contact person for the Soil and Water program at NIROX, where he is responsible for coordinating artist residencies, as well as managing the fabrication and installation of artworks. His role includes working directly with artists to plan and execute their projects, overseeing production logistics, and ensuring that installations are completed on time and to specification. He also supports the ongoing curatorial and operational needs of both NIROX and the Villa-Legodi Centre.
Benji Leibmann (NIROX Founder & Director)
Benji Liebmann (b. 1953) lives and works in the Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage Site on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. He is the founder and director of NIROX, a cross-disciplinary non-profit arts foundation, including an artists’ residency and sculpture park.