ISTANBUL.- Celebrating its 20th anniversary with consecutive of exhibitions, Pera Museum welcomes two new shows. Feelings in Common: Works from the British Council Collection focuses not only on the task of collections and institutions to preserve and protect the past, but also on their potential to establish strong links with todays social and political dynamics, through the artworks of 29 artists. Swedish artist Åsa Jungnelius first solo exhibition in Turkey, A Verse, Written with Earth, Fire, Water, and Air, explores the relationship between material and human, starting from the interaction between glass and stone.
On its 20th anniversary, Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Pera Museum welcomes art enthusiasts with two powerful exhibitions. Feelings in Common: Works from the British Council Collection focuses not only on the task of collections and institutions to preserve and protect the past, but also on their potential to establish strong links with todays social and political dynamics, through the artworks of 29 artists from the Britisih Council Collection. Swedish artist Åsa Jungnelius first solo exhibition in Turkey, A Verse, Written with Earth, Fire, Water, and Air, explores the relationship between material and human, starting from the interaction between glass and stone.
Feelings in Common: Works from the British Council Collection
Curated by Ulya Soley, Feelings in Common: Works from the British Council Collection presents works by 29 artists from the British Council Collection from a contemporary and speculative viewpoint. Established in the 1930s and comprising around 9,000 works, the collection focuses on 20th and 21st century art from the United Kingdom. This remarkable collection that does not belong in a permanent exhibition, and is mostly lent to international exhibitions, is also known as a museum without walls.
Gathered under three chapters titled Preserving Care, Familiar Faces, and Future Perfect, the exhibition focuses on the task of collections to preserve the past, while establishing strong links with todays social and political dynamics.
The artists featured in the exhibition are: Larry Achiampong, Laura Aldridge, Ed Atkins, Sonia Boyce, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Eileen Cooper, Tony Cragg, Tracey Emin, Jane England, Cerith Wyn Evans, Graham Fagen, Lucian Freud, Anya Gallacio, Gilbert and George, Richard Hamilton, Lubaina Himid, Damien Hirst, David Hockney, Michael Landy, Delaine Le Bas, Sarah Lucas, Kate Malone, Chris Ofili, Marc Quinn, Raqib Shaw, Wolfgang Tillmans, Suzanne Treister, Bedwyr Williams, Madame Yevonde.
Organized in contribution with the British Council, the exhibition brings together works by renowned figures in international contemporary art, revealing how the sticky and infectious nature of feelings can transform museums into dynamic spaces of encounter.
Åsa Jungnelius: A Verse, Written with Earth, Fire, Water, and Air
Curated by Elif Kamışlı, Åsa Jungnelius: A Verse, Written with Earth, Fire, Water, and Air emerges from the interplay between glassunsettling in its fragilityand stonepowerful in its permanence. Jungnelius recent glass and marble sculptures are presented alongside four newly commissioned large-scale works produced in collaboration with the glassworkers of Şişecams Denizli Glass Factory, inviting viewers to reflect on the relationship between material and human.
Historical glass objects, archaeological findings, handwoven cords rooted in nomadic traditions and photographs by Swedish photographer Peo Olsson documenting Jungnelius research in the obsidian fields of Bitlis, Van, and Kars come together in an exhibition space conceived as a landscape that evokes both stillness and density. The exhibition has been realized with the artwork production support of Şişecam, the shipping sponsorship of Orrefors Kosta Boda, and the contributions of the Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul and the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul.
Through hand-blown glass works and marble sculptures, Jungnelius engages directly with history, function, mastery, and the unknown, offering the viewer an experience grounded in presence rather than words.
In its 20th anniversary, Pera Museum will present Feelings in Common: Works from the British Council Collection and Åsa Jungnelius: A Verse, Written with Earth, Fire, Water, and Air, on view until 18 January 2026.