Silence will come to life at Palazzo Gradenigo, a historic building acquired by Ahmet Güneştekin approximately two years ago and currently undergoing restoration. Dating back to the 16th century, this landmark will open its doors to contemporary artistic production for the first time through this exhibition, adding a new layer of value to Venice’s cultural landscape.
Located in the Castello district at the intersection of two canals, the palazzo becomes not merely an exhibition space, but one of the foundational elements of the exhibition itself—acting as a layered vessel of history, architecture, and collective memory. The restoration process and the exhibition together establish a simultaneous field of transformation.
Shaped by the curatorial approach of Sergio Risaliti, the exhibition builds a strong dialogue between the space and the works. In conversation with the centuries-old memory of the palazzo, the works create an intense encounter between classical architecture and contemporary art.
Güneştekin’s practice reopens history, mythology, and collective memory for reflection through the concept of silence. Here, silence is not withdrawal; it emerges as an ethical stance and an intensified form of remembering.
Bronze sculptures transform time into a solidified form, while figures wearing gas masks carry the crises of our era within their bodies. Skull and fish forms reveal the tension between mortality and continuity.
Works in the form of doors propose not merely a physical passage but a conceptual threshold. Constructed through mythological figures, these structures invite a reconsideration of power, memory, and identity. Centuries-old doors from Anatolia bring together the physical traces of the past with the aesthetic language of the present.
Silence also offers a conceptual framework accompanying the transformation of the space itself. Realized with the support of Yıldız Holding, this process not only creates an exhibition venue but also aims to establish a sustainable platform for international artistic production, adding a new layer to the city’s contemporary art ecosystem.
Silence is not merely an exhibition; it marks the beginning of a new cultural model formed between space, history, and contemporary production.
Silence is not absence.
Silence is the most uncompromising form of remembering.
This exhibition rises from within an era that does not speak, yet refuses to remain silent.
Information
Press preview: April 23, 2026
Pre-opening: April 24, 2026
Opening: May 6, 2026
Exhibition dates: May 6 – November 1, 2026
Venue: Palazzo Gradenigo