Why do chimneys remain standing when everything else is collapsing? Based on this unanswered question, Eren İnönü photographs chimneys as invisible monuments of the city. Even though the chimneys that rose with the ideals of development no longer smoke today, they still exist like a respiratory organ in the artist's camera. Invisible Monuments , the last day to visit the exhibition is Saturday, November 1, 2025.
The often unnoticed chimneys of urban buildings gain visibility through photography in Eren İnönü's exhibition titled Invisible Monuments . They appear in photographs as both living and destined for destruction.
Can chimneys be perceived as art objects?
İnönü says, "I observed the chimneys standing on their own, generally upright and defying history. Chimneys, which do not attract the attention of most people, symbolize change, development, architectural concerns and even environmental awareness for me." Who knows if it won't collapse?
Chimneys placed in the void of the sky
İnönü's aesthetic view, inspired by the industrial typologies of Bernd and Hilla Becher but transforming their objective approach, places chimneys in the void of the sky. In black and white photographs from different parts of the world, chimneys reference the visual heritage of the modern production age, while also documenting the slow collapse of this heritage.
The exhibition does not consist only of photographs. It was also designed by architect and artist Buşra Tunç as a spatial fiction that involves the viewer. The shell-like structure that Tunç placed in the center of the space gives the viewer the feeling of being inside a chimney, transforming the chimneys from a visual into a physical experience. The screens in front of the shell and at the end of the exhibition expand this “breathing space” out of the space, towards the street, with moving images.
Unseen Monuments invites the viewer to a look where past, present and future are intertwined. The exhibition, which continues at Galeri Işık Teşvikiye until November 1, can be visited between 10.00 - 20.00 on weekdays and 10.00 - 18.00 on Saturdays.
