212 Photography Istanbul is once again getting ready to host the culture and art audience with its contents, including different disciplines and its program covering Istanbul. The fifth edition of the festival will be held on Oct. 6-16.

The city festival, which offers an interdisciplinary dialogue environment through the art of photography, is organized with the contributions of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency. Setting out to create a sustainable tradition of art and culture, 212 Photography Istanbul also includes the city as a stakeholder in collaboration with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Culture Department and its cultural enterprise Kültür A.Ş.

In its fifth year, the festival includes different disciplines such as publishing, dance, music, gastronomy, as well as exhibitions, workshops, talks, panels, film screenings and portfolio reviews in its lineup. Bringing together more than 500 works by more than 50 artists in nearly 15 venues with art lovers, the event will also present works of different art forms like new media, video art, sculpture in addition to photography.

The main venues of the fifth 212 Photography Istanbul will be Akaretler Sıraevler (row houses), one of the most important culture and art destinations of Istanbul thanks to its dynamic structure and historical texture, and Yapı Kredi bomontiada. But the event continues to include different points of the city in the festival, with its events spanning both sides of Istanbul. Therefore, it will meet enthusiasts with diverse events in many other venues, including Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center, Saint Benoit Church, Kale Design and Art Center, Taksim Art, Institut Français, Yeldeğirmeni Sanat, ALAN Kadıköy, Evin Art Gallery, ArtOn, Kalyon Culture and Koli Art Space. In addition, the festival will spread to the public space with exhibitions to be held in the squares.

Exhibitions in the works

In 212 Photography Istanbul, a wide range of thematic exhibitions as well as exhibitions by artists such as Erik Kessels, Aimee Hoving, Kata Geibl, Joseph-Philippe Bevillard, Christto & Andrew, Felix R. Cid, Tina Signesdottir Hult, Emma Summerton and Lorenzo Vitturi selection will be prepared for Istanbulites. An exhibition titled "Our Dearest Friends, Animals," which has a strong visual collection consisting of photographs of pets, will feature the works of leading names from the world of photography. In this exhibition, it will be possible to see iconic photographs taken by William Wegman, Walter Chandoha, Martin Parr, Hellen van Meene, Tim Flach, Martin Usborne and Süleyman Kaçar.

With the "Lost Landscapes" exhibition, which offers a bird's eye view of the earth, the climate crisis and environmental problems will be discussed with a different approach through drone photographs. "Floral Dreams," on the other hand, will be an impressive exhibition that brings together artists from photography, video and sculpture disciplines around the theme of nature and flowers. In this exhibition, the works of Summerton, as well as pieces by Jennifer Steinkamp and Yunus Karma from Borusan Contemporary Art Collection, will be on display.

Visitors will also take on a nostalgic journey in Istanbul with the "Once Upon a Time in Istanbul" exhibition, which showcases Faik Şenol's photographs that are kept in the archive of IBB. A different curation created by record collectors Murat Abbas, Kanat Atkaya and Burak Sülünbaz from their own collections, based on record photographs, can be seen in the "Pictures of Record Covers" exhibition. Besides, "skateboarding," which is an important part of street culture all over the world, will be another thematic exhibition of the festival this year.

Films, talks and more

212 Photography Istanbul, which has made significant contributions to the cultural and artistic map of Istanbul through different collaborations, is presenting a special film selection for the festival this year with MUBI Turkey. In addition, the films selected in cooperation with Institut Français Turkey will be physically screened at cinemas for those who do not give up on movie theaters.

As every year, artist talks and meetings that bring together architecture and photography under the sponsorship of JOTUN will meet with 212 Photography Istanbul followers. By including architecture in its program, the festival will organize workshops that will take place with tours in different points of Istanbul. Also, workshops for those who want to experience darkroom printing and believe in the magic of timeless methods will also be included in the festival.

The interviews, which will take place under the title of "meetings" specifically for this year's program, will be held with famous figures that will come together within the scope of photography books or publications focused on photography.

The surprise of 212 Photography Istanbul will be the inclusion of the discipline of gastronomy this year. Focusing on the role of photography in shaping and expressing the visual world of gastronomy, the festival touches upon the relationship between gastronomy and photography with tastings and brings both worlds together in this area, which will be enriched with different workshops.

Applications on

The deadline for applications for the International 212 International Photography Contest, in which prominent and pioneering names are on the jury every year, is Sept. 16, 2022. Aiming to diversify the dialogue around photography, the contest is open to the participation of amateur and professional photographers of all ages.

The winner of the competition will rewarded with 5000 euros ($5115). 212 Photography Istanbul, the most comprehensive international photography festival held in Turkey, traces the different voices and social, cultural and artistic phenomena by being independent of geography and prejudices through its competition that is open to international participation.

All details about 212 Photography Istanbul can be found at www.212photographyistanbul.com and the festival's social media accounts.