The Girl Who Took the Photos and the 25th Anniversary Exhibition

Don’t you look at restaurants differently when, as a child, your family took you there because you couldn’t reach the tables? There’s a sense of longing. A story. Memories, happiness, sometimes even sadness… For some, 7 Mehmet is that kind of restaurant… A place tied to childhood memories. Mehmet shares a project that came to his father’s mind regarding this:

“One day my father said to me, ‘I don’t understand why restaurateurs display photos of celebrities in their restaurants. If a celebrity came here, it doesn’t automatically mean the place is good, and customers will choose us because of that. I don’t want that. I don’t want any photos of artists, politicians, or famous people displayed here. There can only be one exhibition: let’s photograph our guests’ children while they are at the restaurant, from infancy. Imagine, 25 years later, they’ll say, ‘I grew up here, I came here as a baby, I still come, and I will continue coming,’ and they’ll feel connected to this place. That’s the exhibition I want,’ he said.

He was truly an unusual man. He looked at many things from different perspectives. Seeing my father’s excitement, I immediately bought a camera. There was a play attendant in the restaurant who took care of the children. I explained the idea and concept to her. She was happy, and we were all very excited. With permission from the families, we photographed their children. After some time, this project progressed quite well. We photographed 85 children. Then one day, the play attendant ran off with the photos. We know her name and address. We asked for the photos, but she didn’t give them. And that exhibition project was left unfinished. But because I believed in this project, I started again later. I want to fulfill one of my father’s dreams. My goal is to open the exhibition in 2037, on the 100th anniversary of 7 Mehmet Restaurant. We’ll see…”