A Pera Palace Exhibition: Do Not Disturb moves the Pera Palace Hotel, which holds a unique place in the cultural memory of Istanbul, beyond its role as a place of accommodation. Through art, the exhibition creates a meaningful connection between the past and the present. It appears as a symbolic threshold, inviting visitors into the memories of the building, the stories witnessed by its rooms, and the individual relationships artists establish with this memory. Focusing on the historical identity of the Pera Palace Hotel, the exhibition brings together interpretations by artists from different disciplines.
Do Not Disturb: A Doorway into the Memory of a Place
Since its opening, the Pera Palace Hotel has hosted artists, writers, statesmen, and travelers, collecting different stories within each of its rooms. This accumulated memory forms the starting point of the exhibition. Room 411, known as the place where Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express, is reconsidered through themes of mystery and fiction. Within this context, Ansen’s work “Agatha And Hercules” transforms Christie’s literary world into a visual narrative.
In a similar manner, Room 101, where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, once stayed, has inspired one of the most powerful focal points of the exhibition. Tayfun Gülnar’s oil painting 101 Numaralı Odada Atatürk (Atatürk in Room 101) approaches this historical figure not merely as a monumental portrait, but through the personal relationship that he established with the space itself. Another work by the same artist, titled 201 Numaralı Oda (Room 201), depicts a different room within the hotel through a quiet yet deeply resonant atmosphere, subtly pointing toward unseen and invisible stories.
Multiple Voices Instead of a Single Story
Rather than relying on a single narrative, the exhibition brings together different perspectives side by side to create a multi-voiced structure. Ansen’s work “No Vacancy” refers to the hotel’s states of transience and occupancy, while, under the title of “A Pera Palace Exhibition”, it questions the space’s role in the present day. Burak Dak’s multi-layered work on paper, “Dear Pig”, establishes a fairy-tale-like and ironic language, while Gülin Hayat Topdemir’s oil painting “Greta Wakeful In The Night” offers an inward journey through a figure remaining awake within the silence of the night. Sefa Karakuş’s “Hidden Charlot” stands out as a discreet character portrait that pays homage to the history of cinema.
From Painting to Digital: An Interdisciplinary Meeting
Do Not Disturb is an interdisciplinary exhibition that extends beyond traditional painting. Merve Atılgan’s works “Cool Earth” and “Mata Hari”, created using digital elements, pastel, and beads, reinterpret historical figures through contemporary methods.
Burcu Urgut’s work, produced using acrylic ink and referencing Pierre Loti, deepens the exhibition’s narrative layers through the connection that it establishes between literature, space, and painting. The coming together of different techniques and disciplines offers a multi-layered experience that expands the exhibition’s temporal and formal boundaries.
“Do Not Disturb”: The Meeting of History and Art at the Pera Palace Hotel
Pera Palace Hotel welcomes visitors with a distinctive exhibition experience. “Do Not Disturb – A Pera Palace Exhibition” transforms the hotel’s historic rooms into spaces for contemporary artistic expression, bringing the past and present together. Through the quiet yet powerful language of art, the exhibition invites visitors to rediscover the stories the hotel has witnessed.
Opening its doors with a launch on Thursday, December 25, the exhibition will be open to visitors between 25.12.2025 and 24.01.2026. Works by artists from different disciplines, ranging from painting to digital production, intertwine with the hotel’s architecture and historical identity to offer viewers a site-specific experience. Every room, every artwork, and every detail will allow the multilayered memory of the Pera Palace Hotel to be reread through a contemporary perspective. For more detailed information about the exhibition and to become part of this experience, you may contact the Pera Palace Hotel directly.
