The new exhibition called "A Handful of Beautiful People" brings together portraits of leading literary figures in Türkiye and the world through the lenses of Ara Güler. The artist, who began photographing with his curiosity for literature, also reveals his friendship with literary figures.
Güler began to meet, take portraits and have literary conversations with literary figures, referring them to as: "They are not only the people whose photographs were taken for me, but also the people who built my world." Over time, he not only took pictures of these people but also became close friends with them.
He met with his friends in Sabahattin Eyüboğlu's apartment, Fikret Adil's house, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu's workshop in Narmanlı Han, Yeditepe magazine's administrative office in Cağaloğlu, and Samim Kocagöz's house in Izmir, and immortalized all of these meetings. With the special moments he captured, Güler became the recorder of literature and writers over the years.
The photographer knocked on the doors of literary figures in the countries he visited and took their portraits, including big names like James Baldwin, Arthur Miller, Antonio Tabucchi, John Updike, Philip Roth, Alberto Manguel and many more world-renowned people. He also met famous playwright Tennessee Williams and writer William Saroyan, accompanied them on their travels and left unforgettable memories with the portraits he took.
The exhibition includes many documents such as Nazım Hikmet's portraits that have not been exhibited until now, darkroom prints, Ara Güler's correspondence with his literary friends over the years and works of art from them that adorn the walls of Güler's house.
The works in the exhibition are nurtured by the great piano player Fazıl Say's tunes. In addition to Nazım Hikmet's "Oratorio" and works of Yaşar Kemal, a musical selection consisting of poems composed by Can Yücel and Cemal Süreya is presented to the visitors at the exhibition via quick response (QR) codes.
The exhibition can be visited at Istanbul's Ara Güler Museum every weekday except Mondays.
