Pera Museum is organising two free thematic guided tours in September, exploring its Extraordinary Minas and The Art of Weight and Measure exhibitions through the themes of coffee culture and mythology. Taking place consecutively on 18 and 25 September, the tours will reveal cultural connections and ancient stories ranging from the sources of inspiration of Kütahya tile masters to the commercial world of early civilisations.
The Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Pera Museum is adding new thematic perspectives to its exhibition tours, offering visitors an opportunity to explore its collections in greater depth.
The tour titled “Coffee, Inspiration and Innovation,” organised as part of the Extraordinary Minas exhibition, examines how the spread of coffee culture contributed to the diversification of tile and ceramic production in Kütahya. Meanwhile, “Gods, Symbols and Measures,” presented in connection with The Art of Weight and Measure, invites visitors to discover Anatolia’s four-thousand-year history of trade through the mythological narratives of ancient civilisations.
From the Coffee Cup to Kütahya Ceramics
The “Coffee, Inspiration and Innovation” tour will take place on 18 and 25 September at 6:00 p.m.
Focusing on the period from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, the tour explores the relationship between the growing popularity of coffee in Ottoman society and the diversification of ceramic and tile production in Kütahya.
Visitors will also examine how the social life that developed around coffeehouses influenced the work of Kütahya craftsmen and provided new sources of artistic inspiration.
One of the key stops on the tour is Minas Avramidis’ series of plates depicting the Story of Genovefa. By examining the connection between these works, a lithographic print found in coffeehouses of the period and a serialised novel read by coffeehouse patrons, the tour sheds light on how Avramidis drew inspiration from the cultural environment around him and experimented with new forms of artistic storytelling.
Mythological Stories on the Scales
The “Gods, Symbols and Measures” tour will be held on 18 and 25 September at 6:45 p.m.
The tour explores the stories behind the figures and symbols appearing on ancient weights and measuring objects. Through mythological narratives extending from Egypt and Mesopotamia to the Greek and Roman worlds, visitors will gain a different perspective on Anatolia’s four-thousand-year commercial history.
Among the examples highlighted during the tour are the weighing of the human heart in the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, geese associated with the goddess Nanshe, and motifs from Greek and Roman mythology that later became symbols of city-states in western Anatolia.
These examples illustrate how mythological narratives found visual expression in objects associated with trade, measurement and economic life.
Two Different Discoveries in One Evening
The two thematic tours will be held consecutively on 18 and 25 September, allowing visitors to attend either programme separately.
Those interested in both themes may also participate in the two tours back-to-back, experiencing two of Pera Museum’s exhibitions in the same evening through different cultural and historical perspectives.
Both thematic exhibition tours are free of charge.
