After celebrating our 10th anniversary, we started the first day of the Autostrada Summit — a two — day intensive program co-developed with Allianz Foundation Hub partners: Inland (Spain), Fondazione Studio Rizoma (Italy), Postane (Turkey), and Recyclart (Belgium).

Together, we engaged in meaningful discussions on cultural restoration, collaborative artistic production, and food practices, alongside culinary workshops and insightful sessions on artwork recycling.
The day started with a workshop where chefs from Autostrada Biennale and Postane shared their cooking techniques and recipes from their cultures. Cansu Yılmaz and Diona Nojani from Autostrada Biennale worked with Memed Can Arıkan, Doğan Günal, Arda Baytaş, and Nursel Türüç Akay from Postane. It was a great way to mix food with art, make new friends, and learn from each other.

In a panel discussion titled “Restore Culture,” Vatra Abrashi (Co-founding Director of Autostrada Biennale), Yaşar Adnan Adanalı (Founding Director of Postane), and Nora Arapi Krasniqi (Conservation Architect) discussed how restoring culture involves much more than just buildings. Their discussion highlighted the crucial role of people, nature and political decisions in preserving our cultural heritage.

In the afternoon, we had a panel called “From Mountain to Mountain: Exchanges on Culture, Food, and Living Territories,” with Barış Karamuço (Co-Founding Director of Autostrada Biennale), Fernando Garcia Dory (Inland), and Jeton Jagxhiu (Independent Food Researcher). They discussed how mountain and artisanal cheese producers can preserve their traditions in the face of global regulatory pressures.

We thank all who participated and contributed to this insightful day of learning and collaboration.

Photo credits: Tughan Anit & Elmedina Arapi