ISTANBUL (AA): The joint photography exhibition titled “Ara Güler: A Play of Light and Shadow” organized by Foam Photography Museum, the Ara Güler Museum and Polat Studio has opened its doors to Dutch art goers in Amsterdam.
Yasemin Bagci, one of the curators of the exhibition, spoke to an Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent about Ara Güler’s photographs displayed at the Foam Photography Museum, emphasizing that the exhibition is the largest ever held in the Netherlands dedicated to Ara Güler, showcasing both his iconic photographs and previously unseen works.
The exhibition is divided into four sections: “Iconic,” “Historian,” “Ambassador” and “Personal,” with the main focus being on Güler’s Istanbul photographs dating back to the 1950s, Bagci explained.
Bagci further highlighted that besides Güler’s photographs, the exhibition features three original book models created by the artist, newspaper clippings of articles, and 20 ephemera containing interviews published in the domestic and foreign press between 1950 and 1980. Visitors also have the opportunity to watch Güler’s documentary film titled “The End of the Hero.”
Cultural, artistic bridge builder
“For him, it was a diplomatic duty to open up Türkiye to the world and bring the world to Türkiye,” she said.
Bagci explained that they organized the Ara Güler exhibition as part of the “Kismet” project by Polat Studio, which reflects cultural, diplomatic and economic relations between Türkiye and the Netherlands from different perspectives. “We collaborated with the Ara Güler Museum and Ara Güler Archive and Research Center for this exhibition. Through extensive archival research conducted over the past 1.5 years, we have included some of Ara Güler’s previously unseen photographs in this exhibition,” she added.
Bagci pointed out that in the early years of his career, Güler focused more on abstract-themed photographs. She further described the last section of the exhibition, titled “Personal,” which comprises different artistic experiments he pursued himself.
Notable photographers’ portraits
Bagci highlighted that one of the prominent sections of the exhibition is the “Creative Americans” series, composed of portraits of famous photographers that Ara Güler visited during his trip to the United States in 1974. “In this section, we see portraits captured by Güler, featuring Alfred Hitchcock, Imogen Cunningham, Salvador Dali, Alexander Calder and Ansel Adema. There is also a portrait of Ara Güler taken by Imogen Cunningham,” she said.
Bagci mentioned that approximately 1,000 people attended the exhibition opening and emphasized the great interest shown by the Dutch press.
An article published in Het Parool newspaper noted that despite being one of the most important Turkish photographers of the 20th century, Güler is not sufficiently recognized in the West, suggesting that this exhibition deserves an international tour. The article concluded by saying, “Güler’s works deserve to reach a wider audience.”
The exhibition, which includes a book featuring special moments and prominent works from Ara Güler’s photography world, can be visited at the Foam Photography Museum in Amsterdam until Nov. 8.
