Souvenirs of the Future Exhibition Tour

Curator's Tour

February 15, 2024 / 18:00

Could the future be remembered through the familiar objects collected in the past? Could these objects act as a means to shape the memories of the future that will come as fragments—a means to shape, understand, and preserve the past? Souvenirs of the Future, which sets forth from the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection, explores the ties forged between memory and imagination through contemporary works while focusing on that which is remembered with the help of objects. The cultural and symbolic value and meaning of objects that have been acquired or collected as souvenirs, as a reminder of a certain place and time, interweave the memory of the region with personal journeys.

The exhibition presents a future-oriented perspective of the archive while aiming to understand the future through commissioned contemporary works inspired by the collection. Yet instead of a nostalgic devotion to the past, it proposes contemplating how we will remember the future. In this exhibition curated by Ulya Soley and organized in memory of Suna Kıraç, who created the Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection, a selection from the collection that inspired the contemporary works accompanies each corresponding section. As part of the exhibition, a restricted number of participants will be offered the opportunity to take a tour of the exhibition, led by curator Ulya Soley's informative commentary.

The guided tour fee: 100 TL (Free for Friends of Pera Museum)

The guided tour language is Turkish. The capacity is limited. To join the tour, you can buy tickets from Biletix or make a reservation via resepsiyon@peramuzesi.org.tr

Temporary Exhibition

Souvenirs of the Future

The exhibition focuses on the memories recalled through objects whilst exploring the connections between memory and future imaginings through a contemporary lens. The cultural and symbolic value and significance of objects taken as souvenirs, those that remind us of a certain place and time, or those that are collected, weave together personal journeys and the memory of the region. Instead of a nostalgic attachment to the past, it proposes contemplating how the future will be remembered and focuses on memory's future-oriented functions.

Souvenirs of the Future

The Horse Figure in Mersad Berber’s Works

The Horse Figure in Mersad Berber’s Works

Mersad Berber (1940-2012), is one of the greatest and the most significant representatives of Bosnian-Herzegovinian and Yugoslav art in the second half of the 20th century. His vast body of expressive and unique works triggered the local art scene’s recognition into Europe as well as the international stage.

Serpent Head

Serpent Head

The Greek god Apollo and his son Asklepios presided over the realm of medicine and healing. Apollo was also the god of light and sun, whose solar symbolism and association with medicine would become linked to Christ the Physician, and the resurrected.

The Big Country

The Big Country

When the Royal Academy of Arts offered Stephen Chambers the opportunity to produce new work for a focused exhibition in the Weston Rooms of the Main Galleries, Chambers turned to print and the possibilities it offered.