A Women’s Thing

Grimanesa Amorós Turns a Site of Passage into Light

by The AWT Editors June 1, 2026

Following “RADIANCE,” we turn to “PASSAGE” and “MARITIME,” two works shaped by place.

Created in Istanbul, the installations draw from the city’s history of movement, migration, and exchange. Amorós works with what already exists, and builds from architecture, water, and memory.

The Pulse of Istanbul

These projects involve much research and intense travel. What helps you stay grounded when moving between places?

Grimanesa Amorós: Experience, my routines, and a belief in being romanced by the unknown.

I do not fight the unknown; I let it inspire me instead.

My routines keep me centered, like waking up and having my morning coffee while getting ready for the day. Simple things help me stay grounded, especially when traveling from place to place. Sometimes I have to remind myself where I am, and these seconds of normalcy help me be present.

I do not fight the unknown; I let it inspire me instead.

“PASSAGE” and “MARITIME” were created as a pair. How did you decide what belonged outside on the tower, and what belonged inside in the lobby?

Amorós: “PASSAGE” was surrounding the clock tower, it was the “beacon,” the first thing people saw when The Peninsula was a port stop. It could be seen from the outside, so it was a public work, accessible to all.

“PASSAGE” becomes a part of The Peninsula Hotel’s clock tower. The building was once home to Çinili Han; the former passenger hall where travelers awaited transit. This space was deeply embedded in the rhythms of migration, serving as a site that regulated human flow. By reactivating this location through light, I highlight how built environments retain collective histories, even as their functions evolve.

I am always fascinated by how people move through a space, what is seen, and what essence already exists there.

The 1910s clock tower that used to be a practical anchor for those in transit has become symbolic.

The work extends from the uppermost point of the building, the first terrace, where travelers once stood to wave goodbye or hello to loved ones. Walking through the lobby of The Peninsula echoes the physical paths and trajectories of those who passed through. The work speaks to the dualities of passage: inside and outside, departure and arrival, memory and presence.

“MARITIME” is the waves and water from the Bosphorus, but to access it you enter a private space.

Inside was the flow of history, outside was the signal of optimism.