The exhibition “Manuel Çıtak: An Island of His Own,” bringing together more than four decades of work by Manuel Çıtak, one of the influential figures in Türkiye’s recent photographic history, has opened at the Photography Gallery of Istanbul Modern. Offering an extensive selection spanning the artist’s photographic journey, which began in the 1980s, through his untimely death in 2023, the exhibition introduces visitors to Çıtak’s distinctive perspective, understated style and explorations of the many layers of photographic expression. The exhibition is sponsored by ON Dijital, the digital banking brand of Burgan Bank, which has supported photography exhibitions at Istanbul Modern since the opening of its new museum building.
Focusing on human existence in the city, its outskirts and rural areas, An Island of His Own brings together different periods and dimensions of Çıtak’s photographic practice. Alongside his iconic black-and-white coastal photographs, which delicately capture the human condition, the exhibition features colour and black-and-white cityscapes, portraits, photographs taken in Anatolia and neighbouring countries, as well as works produced in the panoramic format, which was not yet widely used at the time.
Working within the tradition of classical documentary photography from the 1980s onwards, Çıtak became one of the leading representatives of poetic documentary photography through the innovative approach he developed beginning in the 1990s. His photographic language, shaped by his curiosity about everyday life, his tendency to work in series, his strong intellectual background, his sharp sense of humour and his simple yet expressive narrative style, reveals the defining characteristics of his extensive archive.
A Life in Eight Chapters, 100 Photographs
Spanning the Photography Gallery of Istanbul Modern and the foyer in front of it, the exhibition consists of eight sections. Featuring 100 photographs, ephemera and a video composed of short footage filmed by the artist, it offers a comprehensive insight into Çıtak’s creative world. Bringing different periods of his career, his interests and the evolution of his visual language into focus, the selection also sheds light on works that have remained relatively little known until now.
Examining Çıtak’s career as a whole for the first time, the exhibition also includes works from the final period of his life, when the photographer gradually turned his lens from the outside world towards himself. His final series, titled islomania, reflects his inward journey through photography and his relationship with voluntary solitude.
While bringing together more than four decades of Manuel Çıtak’s work, An Island of His Own invites visitors not merely to explore a photographic archive, but also to approach the artist’s way of perceiving the world and his distinctive visual universe. The exhibition introduces audiences to Çıtak’s eye for discovering poetry within everyday life. Curated by Demet Yıldız Dinçer, together with Naz Uğurlu Benek, Tamar Çıtak and Selen Erkal, the exhibition focuses on the poetic dimension of Çıtak’s documentary photographic practice.
A Comprehensive Perspective on Türkiye’s Recent Photographic History
Emphasising the significance of the exhibition and the long-standing relationship established with the artist, Oya Eczacıbaşı, Chair of the Board of Istanbul Modern, said:
“At the Istanbul Modern Photography Gallery, we continue to bring the works of artists who have left their mark on our photographic history to new generations. Manuel Çıtak’s relationship with Istanbul Modern dates back to the early years of our museum. One of the artists who demonstrated his trust in our institution by donating his works to our collection in 2004, Çıtak has been part of our story since the formation of our photography collection. Our exhibition An Island of His Own, which offers a comprehensive perspective on the artist’s work, is also the result of this long-standing relationship.”
Long-Term Support for the Arts
Expressing their pleasure at supporting photography exhibitions at Istanbul Modern’s new museum building since its opening, Aslı Koçer, General Manager of Burgan Yatırım, stated:
“We believe that art is an important value that keeps collective memory alive, builds strong connections between generations and creates space for new perspectives. It is particularly meaningful for us to support An Island of His Own, an exhibition bringing together more than four decades of work by Manuel Çıtak, who has left a distinctive mark on Turkish photography through his unique visual language.
“We greatly value the opportunity for new generations to encounter the artist’s works, which reflect the details of everyday life and human stories with his own particular sensitivity. Through our ongoing collaboration with Istanbul Modern as Burgan Bank ON Dijital, we are delighted to contribute to making our country’s cultural and artistic heritage accessible to wider audiences. We aim to continue our support for culture and the arts with the same commitment in the coming period.”
A Multilayered Photographic Practice
Summarising the starting point of the exhibition, curator Demet Yıldız Dinçer said: “Passing away unexpectedly in 2023, Çıtak was one of the most compelling figures in Türkiye’s recent photographic history. Having produced works in the tradition of classical documentary photography since the 1980s, the artist played an important role in reshaping the field from the 1990s onwards by introducing new perspectives to contemporary documentary photography.
“The exhibition originated from the desire to present his multilayered body of work together for the first time. Alongside Çıtak’s widely recognised coastal photographs depicting the human condition, the exhibition brings together his colour and black-and-white cityscapes, panoramic works produced at a time when the format was not yet widespread, portraits, photographs taken in Anatolia and neighbouring countries, and works from his final period.”
A Voluntary Solitude
The artist’s wife, writer Şebnem İşigüzel, said:
“In a way, Manuel was a mysterious artist. Even though his name and photographs were known, he had no desire to make himself visible. Rather than thinking about what would become of his work, he thought about what he would create next. As an artist who took photographs for forty years, he was happy in the act of creating. Manuel has now left us alone with his photographs, the products of his immense creative power, in his own ‘Island of His Own’.”
A Publication Dedicated to the Exhibition
The catalogue Manuel Çıtak: An Island of His Own, prepared as part of the exhibition, offers comprehensive insight into the artist’s photographic practice and the conceptual framework of the exhibition.
Published bilingually in Turkish and English, the catalogue features essays by Çıtak’s fellow photographer Orhan Cem Çetin, his wife, writer Şebnem İşigüzel, and Demet Yıldız Dinçer, Head of the Photography Department at Istanbul Modern and curator of the exhibition.
Visitors can also experience an audio guide narrated by the artist’s wife, Şebnem İşigüzel, prepared especially for the exhibition.
A Conversation with Şebnem İşigüzel and Orhan Cem Çetin
As part of the exhibition programme, Istanbul Modern will host a special talk on Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
The artist’s wife, writer Şebnem İşigüzel, will share her memories and observations of Çıtak’s personal world and his relationship with photography. Photographer Orhan Cem Çetin will discuss the artist’s work in light of his research for the Manuel Çıtak monograph published as part of the Eczacıbaşı Photographers Series.
Demet Yıldız Dinçer, curator of the exhibition, will moderate the conversation, focusing on the exhibition’s preparation process and Çıtak’s photographic practice.
The exhibition “Manuel Çıtak: An Island of His Own” is on view at the Istanbul Modern Photography Gallery from 5 November 2026 to 23 May 2027.
Who Is Manuel Çıtak?
Born in Malatya in 1962, Manuel Çıtak moved to Istanbul with his family in 1967. He attended Pangaltı Armenian School and Saint-Michel French High School. He first encountered photography while studying in the Graphic Design Department of the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts. Çıtak attracted attention in 1990 with a photojournalistic series on the Armenian community, prepared for Güneş newspaper. During the 1990s, he began accompanying foreign journalists on their trips around Türkiye and producing documentary photographs. He worked for magazines including Cornucopia, Skylife and National Geographic, and produced photographic series documenting urban life for the Istanbul magazine published by the History Foundation. He also worked on various advertising and promotional campaigns. His early photographs of the Kilyos coastline, produced between the 1990s and the mid-2000s, were first published in Radikal newspaper in 1996. In 1998, he documented everyday life in Marseille as part of a photography project in the city. In 2000, he carried out the Kardelenler (Snowdrops) project, focusing on young girls studying with scholarships provided by Turkcell. During the same period, he accompanied Orhan Pamuk on his journeys to Kars. His photographs were subsequently used on the covers of the novel Snow (2002) in various languages around the world, as well as in interviews. In 2008, as part of the international project Living as Muslims in Istanbul, Çıtak photographed large crowds gathered and moving together. His photographs have appeared in numerous publications, including Three Cities, One Coffee: Cairo–Istanbul–Vienna (2016), Kardelenler (2004), Interview Stories, Geschichten, Stories (2003), Meçhul (2002), Downtown Cookbook Nişantaşı (2000), Photography in Türkiye (1999), International Photographers, Turkish Photography (1998), Yalı Houses and People on the Bosphorus (1997) and Scenes of Life from Türkiye (1995). His first monograph, Karakutu Pocket Photography Albums No. 7: Görünüş (1997), was followed by Eczacıbaşı Photographers Series 16: Manuel Çıtak, published in 2025. His works have been presented in numerous group exhibitions, including Shared Sacred Spaces (Depo, 2019), People Photograph People (Istanbul Modern, 2016), Three Cities, One Coffee: Cairo, Istanbul, Vienna (Milli Reasürans Art Gallery, 2015), Faith (Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, 2010), Manufacturing Defect (9th Istanbul Biennial, with the Hafriyat Group, 2005), Musulmans au Caire, à Téhéran, Istanbul, Paris, Dakar (Parc de la Villette, Pavillon Paul Delouvrier, Paris, 2004), Between the Quays (Las Palmas and Rotterdam, 2002), Identity and Environment (Ludwig Museum, Budapest, 1999), Méditerranéennes (L’Atelier de Visu, Marseille, 1999), Admissions of Identity (City Museum and Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield, 1998) and Istanbul – The City Where Faiths Meet (Milli Reasürans Art Gallery, 1996). His only solo exhibition, islomania, opened at Depo Istanbul in 2022. His photographs are held in various collections, including the Photography Collection of Istanbul Modern Art Museum. Çıtak married writer Şebnem İşigüzel in 1993. Their daughter Tamar Çıtak was born in 1998, followed by their son Ararat Çıtak in 2011. Manuel Çıtak passed away unexpectedly in 2023 following a heart attack.
