Istanbul Modern continues to welcome art lovers on digital platforms while it is temporarily closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. The museum has enriched its collection of photographs on its website, taking the viewer on a visual journey from the 1800s to the present day during these days of self-isolation.
There are now more than 200 works in Istanbul Modern Art Museum’s Photography Collection. The efforts of many photographers in the collection – including Selahattin Giz, Ara Güler, Lütfi Özkök, Yıldız Moran, Murat Germen, Manuel Çıtak, İzzet Keribar, Gündüz Kayra, Şahin Kaygun, Sabit Kalfagil, Othmar Pferschy and Boris Mikhailov – are available on the museum's website.
In addition to the photo collection, Istanbul Modern offers access to both the three-dimensional virtual tour of its exhibition “Artists in Their Time” in Karaköy and the digital archive of the exhibition “One Hundred Years of Love,” which was held to mark the 100th anniversary of Turkish cinema, as well as various videos in which the museum’s curators convey information about artwork and artists.
Istanbul Modern also brings the contents of its current exhibitions to the audience through its YouTube channel. The production process of Istanbul Modern’s International Artist Residency Program, the exhibition "Guests: Artists and Craftspeople" and an exhibition tour guided by curators are available on the museum’s YouTube channel and website.
The presentation of “Poet of the Elephant House,” which was presented at the photography exhibition “Lütfi Özkök: Portraits,” can also be viewed on digital platforms.
These offerings are not, however, all that Istanbul Modern has prepared for its followers. The long version of master filmmaker Yeşim Ustaoğlu's documentary "Sırtlarındaki Hayat" ("Life on their Shoulders"), which was part of her collection in the museum's “Rendezvous with Directors” program in 2019, is also available on the museum's website. The movie will be available until April 30. The documentary film, which Ustaoğlu completed while searching for a set for filming “Bulutları Beklerken" ("Waiting for the Clouds") in 2004, was shot in the village of Topluca in the Çamlıhemşin district of northern Rize province. The documentary focuses on women who maintain great endurance without being overwhelmed by the heavy physical burdens they carry on their shoulders, the difficulties of their living conditions and the difficult tasks of looking after their families. Despite these challenges, the women do not give up their songs or the smiles on their faces. The film offers an insight into the region, surrounded by vast forests, where the voices of rain and streams reverberate.
Ustaoğlu's interview with Müge Turan on cinema and directing as part of the “Rendezvous with Directors” program can also be viewed on the museum's website and YouTube channel.
