October 26, 2023 - August 18, 2024
The exhibition aims to shed new light on the history of Istanbul’s representations through panoramic paintings and photographs. It critically approaches the history of the "panorama" and contextualizes its many iterations. While examining the layered relationships in the production and consumption of panoramic images, the exhibition also explores the circulation of these images among different audiences, their receptions, and the connections between various media that have gained popularity over centuries.
An early 19th-century panorama of Istanbul, previously not published or exhibited, is being unveiled for the first time with the exhibition. As it brings together some of the most remarkable works by artists who captured a panoramic view of Istanbul, such as Barker, Gudenus, Schranz, Melling, Dunn, and Robertson, it also reveals how the panoramic perspective has been used to document different phenomena in Istanbul's history, from fire disasters to industrialization. While concentrating on 19th-century panoramas and panoramic images, On the Spot invites its audience to a comprehensive reconsideration of the long history of the panoramic perspective dating back to the early modern period, and Istanbul's position within this history.
The exhibition On the Spot: Panoramic Gaze on Istanbul, a History portrays the circulation of this representational form in the Ottoman world and Europe through a diverse selection of materials, including ephemera and archival documents in addition to paintings, prints, and photographs, while exploring the fluidity within this diversity and the dialogues between different media.
Curated by Çiğdem Kafescioğlu, K. Mehmet Kentel, and M. Baha Tanman, the exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue containing articles that aim to re-read urban history and histories of architecture, art, photography, and modern consumption, through the frame provided by panoramic images.
Image Credits
Joseph Warnia-Zarzecki
Coffeehouse on the Ridges of Dolmabahçe, early 20th century
68 x 98 cm
Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Orientalist Painting Collection
Anonymous
Panorama of Istanbul from the Galata Tower, section, early 19th century
40 x 350 cm
Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Orientalist Painting Collection
Philippe von Gudenus
Vue de la ville de Constantinople, capitale de l’Empire Ottoman (The view of the city of Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire), first part, 1740
44 x 410 cm
Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Istanbul Research Institute Library
Henry Aston Barker
Key to a Series of Eight Views forming a Panorama of the City of Constantinople and its Environs taken from the Tower of Galata, 1813
32 x 32 cm
British Library
3D Virtual Tour
Exhibition Catalogue
The exhibition On the Spot: Panoramic Gaze on Istanbul, a History takes the allure and amazement of the 360-degree urban image as its starting point and moves on to historicize the power of this panoramic effect.
In the context of the exhibition,aiming to shed new light on the history of Istanbul’s representations through panoramic paintings and photographs and critically approaching the history of the "panorama" and contextualizing its many iterations, a curator’s tour led by K. Mehmet Kentel’s informative commentary will be held.
Exhibition curators Çiğdem Kafescioğlu, K. Mehmet Kentel, and M. Baha Tanman will discuss the research process behind On the Spot, their selection of and approach towards historical material, as well as the excitement and challenges of preparing an exhibition on Istanbul panoramas.
Approaching Istanbul’s cultural and artistic history from a musical perspective within the theme of “Şehr-i İstanbul,” (The City of Istanbul) Rezonans is performing at Pera Museum as part of On the Spot: Panoramic Gaze on Istanbul, a History which aims to shed new light on the history of Istanbul’s representations through panoramic paintings and photographs.
Pera Learning
Pera Museum Learning Programs organize fun and inspiring exhibition tours and workshops titled “Expression Through Art" as part of Souvenirs of the Future and On the Spot, which will take place from February 16 to March 24, 2024, for everyone aged 18 and over.
The parallel program to On the Spot: Panoramic Gaze on Istanbul, a History offers online and face-to-face fun and inspiring exhibition tours and workshops for different age groups.
Fun workshops for the semester break provide kids and teachers the opportunity to enrich their holiday with art.
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.
Inspired by the exhibition Istanbuls Today, Today's Stories series starts with Pelin Buzluk's story "Coal"! TThis series gathers short stories written by authors encouraged by the photographs in the exhibition.
Mersad Berber was born in Bosanski Petrovac, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, on January 1st. He was the first son of Muhammed Berber and Sadika Berber, a well-known weaver and embroiderer. A year later, the family moved to Banja Luka after the city had suffered damage from the World War II.
By using our website, you allow cookies. For more information, please visit our cookie policy.
Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 - 19:00
Friday 10:00 - 22:00
Sunday 12:00 - 18:00
The museum is closed on Mondays.
On Wednesdays, the students can
visit the museum free of admission.
Full ticket: 100 TL
Discounted: 50 TL
Groups: 80 TL (minimum 10 people)
