Pilevneli Mecidiyeköy

In 2017, Murat Pilevneli opened his eponymous gallery in Dolapdere, a blue-collar neighbourhood which had very little to do with art until the opening of Dirimart there in 2016 and the announcement that Arter would be moving into a museum space down the street. In keeping with his penchant for setting up shop in unusual locations, Pilevneli has recently unveiled a second, much bigger space in the Mecidiyeköy business district. The building it occupies has a fascinating history, having been built by the celebrated French architect Robert Mallet-Stevens under Atatürk’s orders, serving as a state-owned liquor and cognac factory for many years. One of the first buildings commissioned by the newly found Turkish Republic, the building was destroyed in 2012 and rebuilt in its original style. Currently owned by the Swiss real estate development company Viatrans, the building is temporarily bequeathed to Pilevneli Gallery.