Recent Photography in Türkiye

11 February 2017, Leica Akademie, Istanbul

12 February 2017, Ka Atölye, Ankara

​

Developed and led by Geniş Açı Project Office (GAPO), 'Recent Photography in Türkiye' took place at Leica Akademie in Istanbul on Saturday, 11 February 2017, and at Ka Atölye in Ankara on Sunday, 12 February 2017. Following an approach similar to GAPO’s earlier workshop Current Trends in Photography from the 1970s to the Present, the programme explored what can be said about photographic production in Türkiye over the past quarter of a century through a series of thematic categories.

Introduced to the Ottoman Empire shortly after its invention in 1839, initially by foreign travellers and subsequently through the photography studios that opened one after another, particularly in Istanbul, photography developed as a prominent expression of modernity during the empire’s final decades. Although its trajectory in Türkiye has at times developed in relative isolation from international developments, the diversification of communication channels and the rapid spread of information over the past 25–30 years have contributed to a period of increasing diversity and richness in photographic production, broadly in parallel with developments elsewhere in the world.

Drawing on this parallel development, 'Recent Photography in Türkiye' began with an overview of the history of photography in these lands and an introduction to the contemporary photographic landscape, considering key actors and structures including galleries, institutions, collectors, initiatives, festivals, and publications. It then focused on photographic production from the 1990s onwards, examining works under categories including Personal Documentaries, Storytellers, New Documentarists, and Reinterpreters. The programme aimed both to refresh collective memory of the recent past and to establish new connections between works through these categories, while offering a broader perspective on contemporary photographic production in Türkiye.