Ahmet Güneştekin opens foundation in Venice's Palazzo Gradenigo

Kurdish artist Ahmet Güneştekin (born 1966, Batman) has opened a new foundation in Venice at Palazzo Gradenigo, a 16th-century building in the Castello district. The foundation, his third after Istanbul and Urla (near Izmir), will host the inaugural exhibition 'Sessizlik/Silenzio/Silence' opening May 6, 2026, during the Venice Biennale. Curated by Sergio Risaliti, the show features 11 new bronze sculptures and 11 oil paintings, including a monumental bronze on the facade. The palace, closed to the public for 17 years, was previously owned by the City of Venice and later Cassa Depositi e Prestiti before Güneştekin purchased it. Restoration by architects Alberto Torsello and Elisa Santoro is ongoing, with completion expected by end of 2026, adding second and third floors and a mezzanine for exhibition space and studios for young artists, prioritizing Turkish artists. The foundation is self-funded through artwork sales and royalties. The exhibition explores themes of memory, silence, and trauma, incorporating grotesque proportions and symbolic motifs like skulls and fish. It also includes paintings from Güneştekin's 'door' series, restoring 13th-century Anatolian doors with a technique resembling 'rigatino'. The artist's work was previously seen in Italy at the Galleria Nazionale di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in the exhibition 'Yoktunuz – Eravate Assenti' curated by Risaliti and Paola Marino.