The photo book titled "Tarlabaşı – Lost City" , which is the product of documentary photographer Ali Öz's years of work, has been republished with the support of MAST Enerji. The work, whose first edition sold out in a short time, was put on sale again with a new limited edition edition. The book, which is the product of nearly ten years of documentary photography, documents the life, neighborhood culture and social texture of Istanbul's Tarlabaşı district before urban transformation with photographs. The work, which consists of photographs selected by Ali Öz from approximately 50 thousand frames, serves as a visual record of the transformation the district has undergone.
Making a statement on the occasion of the republication of the book, Ali Öz says that the book is a work that documents the story of a neighborhood that has largely disappeared and the people who lived there.The income from the limited edition book will be used in Öz's new documentary photography projects.
Ali Öz, who has been documenting Türkiye's social events, urban life and human stories throughout his career of more than 45 years, summarizes his understanding of photography with the following words: "I never pursued photography. I pursued people. For me, photography was testimony before aesthetics, memory before news. When I look back today, my greatest happiness is that the photographs I took have turned into the memory of an era."
Appreciation from Academicians to the Art World
Urban scientist Prof. Dr. Cevat Geray emphasizes that the book is an important reference source for urban scientists, architects and sociologists, and evaluates this work, which Ali Öz carried out by gaining the trust of the people of the neighborhood, as an exemplary documentary.Photographer Merih Akoğul defines "Tarlabaşı – The Lost City" as the strongest example of the documentary photography approach to which Ali Öz devoted his life. Notes made in the guestbooks of exhibitions opened years ago also reveal the impact of the work. Photography historian Gültekin Çizgen says: "The art of photography is the eye of society. Ali Öz offers us an unforgettable slice of Istanbul."
