An Istanbul exhibition brings together nearly a century of travel photography by three generations of the Erbak family, tracing a shared passion for discovery across different eras and continents.
Titled “Far Corners, Generations, Perspectives” ("Uzaklar, Kuşaklar, Bakışlar"), the exhibition will run from Sept. 26 to Oct. 11 at Akaretler No:5, featuring photographs by Nuri Z. Erbak, Mehmet H. Erbak and Ceylin Erbak Aytekin.
The collection spans 96 years, offering glimpses of the world through the eyes of three generations whose journeys began in Bursa and extended to distant corners of the globe.
The story begins in the 1930s with Nuri Z. Erbak, whose travels from Egypt to Venezuela, Tanzania to Hawaii and Hong Kong to Japan reflect a desire to explore the world at a time when travel was far less accessible. This legacy expands through Mehmet H. Erbak’s journeys across the Trans-Siberian Railway, remote corners of India and China, Tibet and Antarctica. In Ceylin Erbak Aytekin’s travels spanning all seven continents, the same passion for discovery continues through a contemporary visual language.
For Aytekin, the collection reflects more than the places her family visited. It offers a glimpse into how each generation observed the world.
“When I look at the photos my grandfather took in the 1930s, I see what he chose to look at rather than just the places he visited,” she said. “The true legacy passed down through three generations isn't a camera, but an innate curiosity to discover the unseen.”
Describing the exhibition as more than a family album, Aytekin said it brings together three generations who pursued the same curiosity across different periods and geographies.
“Perhaps what is truly handed down between generations is not the photographs themselves, but our art of observing life,” she said.
A panel discussion accompanying the exhibition will take place Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. at the Pera Museum, bringing together Haldun Dostoğlu, Nevzat Sayın, Mehmet H. Erbak and Ceylin Erbak Aytekin.
The discussion will examine how photography becomes part of a family’s heritage and how personal travel memories evolve into visual records of different eras and ways of life.
The exhibition is open to visitors through Oct. 11 at Akaretler No:5 in Istanbul.
