Istanbul Modern presents the new works of 43 artists from different generations during the pandemic days to the audience with an online exhibition.
The exhibition titled “Photography in the Days of Pandemic” can be seen on the museum's website between June 1 and November 15
Istanbul Modern added a new content to its constantly updated content on digital platforms during the epidemic days when we stayed at home and limited social interaction.
Istanbul Modern's new online exhibition "Photography in the Days of Pandemic" brings together photographers from different generations to think together on the question of "what can we do about photography" in days when we are confined to the confines of four walls.
The exhibition presents to the audience the new works created during the pandemic days by 43 artists who participated in the project upon the invitation of Istanbul Modern Photography Department and Advisory Board.
A cultural legacy for the future
Stating that they made an initiative together with the members of the Museum's Photography Advisory Board while the whole world is going through days where movement and interaction are restricted, Istanbul Modern Department of Photography Director Demet Yıldız said, "We are trying to understand and give meaning to existence in a time that cannot be easily described, is uncertain and uncanny. While this period may lead to new discoveries for some of us, it may be a process of reviewing our past practices and giving new meanings to them. We believe that the new meanings we will discover in response to what we feel and see will be an important and meaningful cultural heritage for future generations." he said.
The artists participating in the exhibition, which reminds us of the photographic image's strong and unshakable bond with the future beyond its witness to the "present", are listed as follows:
Yasin Akgül, Merih Akoğul, Burcu Aksoy, Emin Altan, Coşkun Aral, Ani Çelik Arevyan, Barbara & Zafer Baran, Kerem Ozan Bayraktar, Dilan Bozyel, Orhan Cem Çetin, Halûk Çobanoğlu, Yusuf Darıyerli, Burak Dikilitaş, Sinem Dışli, Saygun Dura, Murat Durusoy, Eser Epözdemir, Didem Erbaş, Canan Erbil, Murat Germen, Meltem Işık, Ali Kabaş, Elif Kahveci, Ege Kanar, Yonca Karakaş, İzzet Keribar, Yağmur Kızılok, Neslihan Koyuncu, Sıtkı Kösemen, Aslı Narin, Ömer Orhun, Emin Özmen, Ahmet Polat, Jochen Proehl, Ozan Sağdıç, Ahmet Sel, Yusuf Sevinçli, Deniz Ezgi Sürek, Tahir Ün, Emre Ünal, Lale Tara, Begüm Yamanlar, Pınar Yolaçan.
Artists tell about their photographs
The online exhibition also includes texts describing the artists' work during the pandemic days.
Emin Özmen: While walking home, I see from the window that a group of men, who always live on the ground floor of that abandoned building under all circumstances, are chatting in the same place. The man sitting in the middle with the piece of cloth he uses instead of a mask and the rosary in his hand suddenly catches my attention; After a brief hesitation, I enter and take a portrait of him.
Yusuf Sevinçli: As I was sitting calmly in my chair in the living room, as I always do these days, I photographed the crows that caught my eye outside with the help of my phone and a pair of binoculars. Not a review of the pandemic, but a small observation that time is still flowing at a time when everything feels like it's at a standstill.
ZQx00000 Humans generally did not leave good traces in nature, they transformed it for themselves and destroyed the natural habitat. While nature inspires us and provides an endless possibility of creation, we could not value it enough. And in these photographs, we look at the traces of a painter who has accepted the power and greatness of nature and perhaps has just left his canvases.
